


Canvas of Love(and granola bars)

by imaboringperson



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Female Hange Zoë, How Do I Tag, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Out of Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26648074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaboringperson/pseuds/imaboringperson
Summary: Hange Zoe is a good student, she has high marks for almost every subject. Every subject except art. Enter Levi, a childhood friend of Hange's friend named Erwin. Levi is good at art, and because of that Hange has been pestering him to teach her. Much to Levi's annoyance. It doesn't help that Erwin is bored out of his wits.
Relationships: Levi & Hange Zoë, Levi/Hange Zoë
Comments: 23
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

_Uncomfortable_. The state of the living room can only be described as uncomfortable. It wasn't uncomfortable earlier, Hange's parents are quiet while taking turns in reviewing a piece of paper. Both her mother and father had proud smiles on their faces until they reached one subject. It was art. When they reached her marks for art, their proud smiles were replaced with a disappointed one. Hange noticed the sudden change on her parent's faces and tried to look at everything but them. She's thinking of hiding herself in her room and curse her teacher for not giving her at least a passing grade. She knew she tried her best, the least her teacher could do is give her a passing grade. but no, her teacher wasn't merciful and gave her a grade that only needs one or five more points to pass. 

She stopped her thinking when she realized that her parents have finished viewing her report card and is now staring at her. Having no choice, Hange tried her best to make eye contact with them. Afraid of the faces of disappointment that she will see. Once she made eye contact, she didn't see disappointed faces. She saw proud smiles. Her parents were proud of her. Despite her failing at art. 

"You're not mad at me?" Hange asked nervously but the hope is evident in her voice.

"Why would we be mad at you? you tried your best" Her mom said with proudness in her voice. 

"and besides..." She stopped then looked at the report card. 

"You have high marks in almost all of the subjects, of course we're proud of you" Her mom then looked at her daughter and patted her head.

"But.." Hange said while looking down at the floor reluctant to continue her sentence. But nevertheless, continued it.

"I failed at art" Hange said almost a whisper.

"Oh that? well it can't be helped" Her mother said with reassurance in her voice and turned to face her husband. 

"He's to blame" Her mom said in a teasing manner a wink present in her face and her thumb pointing at the man beside him.

"Well I'm sorry I suck at art" Her father replied pretending to be offended.

"Eh?you suck at art?" Hange said surprised at what she's hearing. This was something new, She wasn't informed that his father sucked at something. She can't believe it. There were times when she saw her father draw and his drawing is not bad.

"But I saw you drawing the human brain and some amoebas during your free time" Hange said having a confused look. 

His father just looked at her daughter also confused.

"human brain and amoebas?" Her father said trying to remember something. His eyes looking up the ceiling as he do so.

"I never drew them, well at least not in front of you" Her father said still having that confused look.

They were exchanging confused looks for more than a second. While her mother is peacefully observing those two with a smile planted on her lips. After a minute of exchanging confused looks from Hange and her father, Her mother finally decides to break the silence. 

"Clouds and Flowers" Her mother said straight to the point while trying to keep herself from laughing.

She was met with confused looks from her husband and her daughter. Then she finally explained.

"Your father was drawing clouds and flowers"

_Oh_.

Her mom, unable to keep herself from laughing any longer just let it all out. Hange seeing her mother laugh also made her want to laugh. And so she did. The father at first unamused by the two girls laughing their heart out because of his drawing of clouds and flowers. But finally giving in and he himself, laughed as well. The living room is now devoid of that uncomfortable silence earlier. Instead, it is replaced by laughter coming from the two parents who are proud at their daughter because she tried her best and also filled by laughter from the daughter glad that her parents are far from disappointed.

*********************************************

Hange was running late to school and it just so happens to be that her first class today is art class. Hange had no time for breakfast and so she left the house with her bag and a couple of granola bars. Her father won't let her leave without her eating something and so to reassure him, Hange grabbed some granola bars so she could eat something while she walked to school. Or rather, ran to school. That explains why Hange is now running to school with a granola bar in her mouth. 

While Hange was running she noticed that there was a kid holding a bag of bread that came from the alley.she knows that if she didn't stop now she will collide with the kid. She tried to slow down so she can stop but failed. She collided with the kid and they both fell down. The collision with the kid caused her glasses to fall from her face and the kid to drop the bag of perfectly baked bread. 

"Ouch" Hange groaned then looked around only to see smudged colors. She touched her face to confirm if she's still wearing her glasses. She's not. "Oh no" She thought, there's no way her glasses are still not broken after that collision with the kid. Giving up on finding her glasses, she stood up

Even without a clear vision, She can recognize those things on the cement floor as bread the kid was bringing earlier. She can't help but feel guilty knowing that she's the reason why those bread are on the floor. She reached out a hand to help kid stand up but nothing grabbed onto her. 

"Tch, I don't need your help" The kid who was able to stand on his own was glaring at Hange. But because Hange doesn't have her glasses on. She couldn't see the scary face the kid is giving her. 

"I'm really sorry about the bread" Hange apologized while she bent down and grab her bag then opened it to get a spare granola bar. She grabbed his hand and gave him the granola bar, still unaware of the glare in that kid's face. The kid finally decided to speak.

"Oi, what are you doing " The kid said to Hange but she's already running on her way to school. It turns out Hange heard what he said and that made her stopped her tracks and turned to him.

"When we meet again, I'll buy you bread" Hange said with a smile in her face then turned around again to continue running.

"Who would want to meet a shitty person like you again anyway" The kid muttered to himself and grabbed the fallen pastries and walked to school. While on his way to school, he saw a trash can and threw away the pastries he had. He was thinking of throwing the granola bar the girl earlier gave him but decided not to since it's still food that he can eat. He continued his walk to his school still disappointed that he threw away the bread he could have eaten and annoyed at the girl who ruined his mood so early in the morning.

Levi, the kid who met Hange turns out to be a high school student just like her despite his short appearance and is not a kid. Unknown to him, he will once again meet the girl who so ruined his mood whether he liked it or not.

**********************************************


	2. Chapter II

  
Hange ran all the way to school without her glasses to avoid being late. Surprisingly, she did not bump into anyone or anything except for the kid with the bread. She stopped running when she reached the front gate of the school. There were a lot of students and teachers entering the school by using the gate. To avoid bumping into people, she moved out of the way. She went to the shade of the tree beside the gate to try and catch her breath after all that running. After a few seconds of resting, she prepared to run to the classroom by taking a deep breath and moving her left foot backwards trying to get the force she needs. She was just about to start running but a familiar voice called out to her.

"Hange!!!"

She turned her head and she saw her friend Nanaba approaching her then tackling her into a hug. The hug that came from Nanaba was so tight that it would have broken her glasses if it didn't break earlier

Nanaba released Hange from the hug and gave her a smile because for once in her life Hange Zoe is early. Her smile disappeared when she saw Hange's face lacking the usual glasses. She grabbed Hange by the shoulders and with a worried expression asked why Hange isn't wearing her glasses. Hange just smiled at Nanaba's worried face and explained what happened. 

"Dont worry about me, I'm fine. I just happen to drop my glasses on the way here I think they're broken so I didn't bother looking for it anymore" Hange explained to a worried Nanaba. Hearing that, Nanaba's worried face disappeared and she let go of Hange's shoulders.

"Ok, I believe you" Nanaba said to Hange then continued "that doesn't explain why you went to school early today though". Hange tilted her head to the right and looked at Nanaba confused. Nanaba took it as a signal to start explaining.

"It's still thirty minutes early before the first class" Nanaba explained to Hange. After Nanaba said that, Hange just realized something. She realized that the clock in their house is thirty minutes early causing her to arrive early. She thought she was late because the time showed on the clock was wrong. She also just realized that she needs to apologize to the kid she met earlier. If she wasn't running that time, then the kid might still have his bread and have that as his breakfast or snack instead of the granola bar she gave him. Hell, they might have not even met because Hange doesn't leave the house that early.

Hange who was still thinking about the kid and the poor bread didn't notice that Nanaba has been calling her name for a while now. It wasn't until there was a hand that waved right in front of Hange's face that she snapped out of thoughts.

"You with me now?" Nanaba who just stopped waving her hand said.

"Yeah, yeah just thinking" Hange replied.

"Are you sure you're ok even after the art thing?" Nanaba asked the worry from before coming back again.

"I'm fine don't worry" Hange said to Nanaba giving Nanaba a smile to assure that she is indeed fine and there's no need to worry. Nanaba just stayed silent, signaling Hange to explain further. 

"It's true I did fail at art" Hange said to Nanaba. Nanaba replied with a gasp then back to her worried face. 

"But it's fineeee, my parents said it's alright" Hange said to Nanaba. Hearing that, Nanaba's worried face was now replaced by a smiling one.

"That's great hange" Nanaba said then trying to tackle Hange into another hug. Hange despite not having her glasses, sensed the incoming hug and was able to avoid it. 

"Let's save the hugs for later, we're really gonna be late for art class at this rate" Hange said to Nanaba.

"Race you there?" Nanaba asked while preparing to run

"You're on" Hange said also preparing to run for it.

The two girls started their race to the classroom, Nanaba leading while Hange follows. Hange was so close in surpassing Nanaba but because of her limited eyesight due to her breaking her glasses earlier, she tripped on a rock. The race was stopped because Nanaba also stopped running and offered Hange a hand so she can stand up.

They went to the classroom together. Barely making it in time.

*********************************************

It was already lunch time. Every lunch time, Hange meets up with her friends Mike,Nanaba and Erwin under the tree so they can eat and talk with each other. Hange rarely eats though, during those meetings her face is always stuck in a book. Too invested in what she's reading, she sometimes forgets to eat. Her friends know this habit of Hange and always reminds her to eat. 

There was one time, that Nanaba had to take away her book just so she can eat. Nanaba's reason was because she forgets to eat whenever she's reading. Hange denied and said that she is able to eat her food even if she's reading. Nanaba replied with saying that taking a single bite from a granola bar is not considered eating. Nanaba regretted saying that because it resulted in Hange talking about digestion for the whole lunch break.

Hange's journey to the tree wasn't very pleasant. She kept bumping onto people and she kept tripping because of her limited vision. She finally reached the tree, but she was uncertain if it is the right tree, there's a lot of trees in their school after all. Her uncertainty disappeared when she felt someone sniffing her. It was her friend Mike. 

"Hello to you too Mike" Hange said then trying to find a spot in the ground so she can read her book. She was able to find a reading spot and was about to start reading but her book was grabbed by Nanaba who approached Hange from behind. Hange stood up trying to get back the book from Nanaba.

"Not today Hange" Nanaba said raising the book and then throwing it to Mike. Mike was able to catch the book and raise it up higher so that Hange is unable to reach. 

"Erwin will introduce his childhood friend to us today" Nanaba said then continued "It would be rude if you just read all lunch break".

"Erwin has a childhood friend?" Hange asked amused forgetting about the book she was trying to get back.

"Erwin has a childhood?" Mike asked using a teasing tone.

"Rude, of course I have a childhood" Erwin who just appeared said.

"Ooooooohhh Erwinnnn, where's your childhood friend?" Hange asked excitedly almost jumping up and down. Before Erwin can answer Hange's question, a sniffing sound was heard 

"Oi, tell your friend I'm not cocaine so he can stop sniffing me" The boy with raven hair said and moved away from the sniffing Mike.

"That's Mike, it's his way of greeting people" Nanaba said then introduced herself. After Nanaba introduced herself Mike moved behind her and whispered something that caused Nanaba's eyes to widen.

"Everyone, meet Levi" Erwin said pointing to Levi then continued "You can sniff Mike back too if you want".

Hearing that, Levi just glared at Erwin. Erwin ignored Levi's glare and told Hange to introduce herself. Hange approached Levi and introduced herself with so much energy she's like the sun incarnate. She held up a hand to signal a handshake. 

"When was the last time you washed that hand?" Levi said analyzing the hand in front of him. It was full of dirt for some reason. 

"Uhhhhhh last week maybe?" Hange answered unsure. Levi's face scrunched up in disgust. But then Hange said "Oh I last washed it when I took a bath earlier". Disgust was still planted in Levi's face. Ignored was the hand offered by the woman as Levi tried to find a spot for him to sit on, turning away from Hange. He took out a spare cloth and placed it on the spot before he sat down.

"Heh, Guess he's a clean freak" Hange said while shrugging her shoulders. Not bothered by the fact that she was just ignored.

Under the shades of the tree, Levi kept his distance from the others and sat while he took out a small notebook and a pencil from his pocket and started sketching the scenery around him.

For ten minutes it was silent, everyone minding their own business. The talk of the trio(Mike, Erwin, Nanaba) was about what Mike has sniffed earlier. Hange was reading her book she just got back and is so invested in reading it she forgot that there was food in front of her to eat.

Levi's own business was taking a big bite from a granola bar he got from his lunch bag when he stopped sketching. Erwin saw Levi and his somehow familiar granola bar then decided to break the silence.

"Ok spill it you two" Erwin said to Hange and Levi. Erwin's voice reached Hange but she didn't even bother looking away from the book or looking at Erwin. It's the same for Levi, he didn't pay it any mind and just continued sketching. Thinking that Erwin was talking to Mike and Nanaba.

"Looks like they didn't hear you" Mike said to Erwin. Erwin stood up and replied with a sigh. Erwin approached Hange and grabbed the book she's reading. Honestly, he has no idea how Hange can still read without her glasses. Then after that, he went to Levi's spot and tried to grab Levi's notebook. Erwin wasn't able to grab the notebook. But he did grab Levi's attention.

"Now that I have your attention, spill it" Erwin said.

"Spill what?" Hange asked Erwin

"Explain why you and Levi have the same scent" Erwin said straight to the point.

"Never knew you liked sniffing people Erwin" Levi said flatly. Levi earned a glare from Erwin and Levi glared back. Levi and Erwin were having a glaring contest. Their glaring contest was stopped by Nanaba who cleared her throat.

"Sorry to disturb your glaring contest but I believe those two have some explaining to do" Nanaba said her hands on her waist and turned to Hange.

"This is new, YOU want ME to explain something?" Hange asked then continued "I should now explain biology." Hange said then started to talk.

"No not that, the reason why you and Levi have the same scent" Nanaba said surprised. Confused, Hange turned to Nanaba and stopped her rambling about whatever she was rambling about 

"Same scent?" Hange asked turning her head to the right side. then continued "With Levi?" 

"I don't smell like her, I don't smell like shit" Levi said.

"Levi that's rude" Mike said but then said "She smells like bread, just like you". Levi looked at Hange and just realized something but kept silent and ate the granola bar in peace.

Hange was saying something about not eating bread but before she can finish the sentence, she remembered the incident earlier. Squinting her eyes, Hange recognized Levi as the kid with the bread from earlier. Hange remembered her promise from earlier and so she stood up then asked Nanaba for money and went to the cafeteria. Her action causing everyone to have confused faces.

"Where are you going" Erwin aked in a shouting manner.

"I'll come back, so wait for meeeeee" Hange said as she ran to the cafeteria bumping on people because of her poor eyesight.

Everyone is still confused since Erwin's question wasn't answered. Wanting to get answers from the woman, Nanaba stood up and followed Hange to the cafeteria.Different kinds of bread was in Hange's hand when Nanaba found her. Nanaba went to Hange's direction deciding to help her friend and carry the breads back to the lunch meeting place. In exchange of Nanaba's help, Hange should explain on the way.

Under the tree, the three people who were left wasn't talking to each other and is minding their own business. Hange walked towards Levi's spot and offered him the bread she bought with her friend's money. Levi just stared at her until she talked.

 ~~"~~ It's not as good as the pastries you dropped but bear with this for now" When Levi's ears heard that he looked up and just stared at Hange. Her face has a wide grin and her hands still holding the bread she's offering.

With reluctance, Levi accepted the bread and decided to thank her but she was already offering her friends the bread that she bought with her friend's money.

This bread tastes like it's been dumped in some kind of shitty water" Levi judged eyeing the bread.

"Yeah I agree, it does taste like crap" Hange said about to sit beside Levi. Levi moved to make space. Erwin saw that movement of Levi and decided to tease him about it. 

"Making space for Hange, Levi?" Erwin asked in a teasing tone. Levi swears he can see Erwin's eyebrows wiggling up and down.

"I am making distance eyebrows, I don't want nest hair to spread her germs on me" Levi said in a flat tone having an unamused look on his face. 

"Nest hair? surely you can do a better nickname than this" Hange said as she sat beside Levi but having enough space to each other so that Hange wont spread germs. 

"You guys just met and you have nicknames for each other already" Nanaba said also in a teasing tone. It's like Mike, Nanaba and Erwin all agreed to tease those two beforehand. 

"You don't smell like the intimate type, I see my nose for once is mistaken" Mike said also in a teasing manner. Levi glared at Mike while Mike has a smug look on his face. In the end Levi just replied with a "tch" and continued eating his bread. Once he finished eating he took out the notebook he was drawing on earlier and continued his drawing of the scenery. Hange who was reading, stray her eyes away from the book unable to fight her curiosity. She couldn't see clearly without her glasses so she had to move closer much to Levi's dismay. 

"Oi what are you doing" Levi asked Hange while still sketching. Hange didn't reply and just moved her face closer to the notebook.Levi had enough, annoyed by the close proximity to the girl he hid his notebook. Hange frowned at Levi's action and asked Levi to show her his notebook. Levi just declined. Rather rudely too.

Hange wasn't affected by his rude response but a frown is present in her face. Hange was determined to see that notebook without using physical force no matter what. So she used the power of volume and amplitude to convince him. 

"LEEEEEEEEVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII" Hange whined loud enough for strangers to hear and turned their faces toward the sound. Levi hated the attention and had a scary face that instills fear to the strangers. It worked and now only their friends are looking at them. Hange only stopped whining his name when Erwin asked them what was happening. 

"Levi won't let me see his drawingsssss" Hange said in a whining tone.

"Oh that, he doesn't like showing his drawings" Erwin stated then continued "He is good at art though, it's probably one of the things he's good at next to cleaning"

"I knewwww itttttt, he's a clean freakkkkkk" Hange said with a grin on her face then continued "Anywaysss, you should teach me Levi".Nanaba and Mike agreed with what Hange said and also encouraged Levi to teach her. Levi just stayed silent until Erwin also joined in convincing Levi. 

"Why do you think that I'll be willing to teach her?" Levi asked flatly 

"Because you'll be helping a friend?" Hange answered like it's the most obvious thing in the world but still unsure. It's only been minutes since they talked and cannot really be labeled as friends yet. And the talking was more like random words that happens to make sense spouting of each other's mouths that mostly came from Hange's. But since Levi is a friend of Erwin's, Hange also considers Levi a friend. A friend of Erwin is a friend of Hange's. And Mike. And Nanaba. 

Levi just responded with a tch. Hange gave in and used her last resort, determined to make Levi his art teacher. She doesn't really know why she's so determined to make him her art teacher. Which makes it more interesting for Hange, Hange doesn't know why she's so determined. It's like the statement of the problem in a research paper. And she's gonna give an answer to that problem. But before she gets the answer she has to do the first step first. And that is using her last resort. Saying those three words.

"I'll pay you" Hange said. Levi's eyes for a split second narrowed at the sound of the word pay but his eyes went back to his normal cold eyes. Nanaba,Mike and Erwin responded with a gasp then looked at Levi, eager at his response.

"With your friend's money? I'll pass" Levi retorted referencing Hange buying a piece of crap they called bread using Nanaba's money. Now that Mike, Nanaba and Erwin heard his response their heads turned to Hange, waiting for her response. There's no sign of giving up in Hange's face. If anything, she looks more determined. 

"I'll pay you with **MY** money" Hange said putting an emphasis on the word "my".The bell rang signaling the end of lunch break. The noise from the bell keeping Levi from responding and so he just stood up and started walking his way into the classroom.

"Wait what's your answer" Hange said who also stood up. Levi stopped his tracks but not turning around to face Hange. From an outsider's perspective, it looks like Hange is confessing her love. And it is somehow simlar to that. Because what came next from Levi's mouth was a common thing in love confessions. 

A rejection. Except the difference is, what he's answering isn't a love confession

_No_

And with that the lunch break has ended. Students are seen leaving benches and trees to go to their classrooms. Hange and Nanaba went to their classrooms together. While Erwin and Mike followed Levi to their classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They are ooc....
> 
> Anyways, I don't know why out of all subjects it has to be art. I suck at art for crying out loud. Anything that has to do with lines... Ugh drafting.
> 
> I hope I can pull this off. I hope that I can improve.
> 
> And I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thank you very much for reading ^_^


	3. Chapter III

Three days have passed ever since Levi was introduced by Erwin. The environment has become more familiar. During those three days, even when his face is stuffed in his phone or sketchbook. He observes his surroundings. He has seen Hange with her glasses and from then on he started calling her "shitty glasses" or "four eyes".  
  
It just slipped from his mouth when Hange kept blabbering something he can only roll his eyes on. When Levi suddenly called Hange shitty glasses, Hange shut her mouth and looked at Levi. Levi just sat there staring at the bench right in front of him processing what he just said. _Great, he needs to_ _apologize_ he thought, his thoughts were proven wrong when he heard Hange let out a laugh.   
  
"Well shitty glasses is certainly better than nest hair". Levi just checked the time and looked at his phone creating silence between them. The silence was broken however, when Hange opened her mouth and started talking to him about weird shit he doesn't care about.

That was also one of the things he observed, Whenever they talk it's only Hange who does the talking. It's a good thing since Levi just "tch" and say something harsh whenever he talks. Not good for a conversation. Not that he wants to engage in in a conversation.

Levi sometimes thinks that Hange won a lifetime supply of granola bars. Everytime he meets her, she always ask him to be her art tutor and whether his answer is yes or no she always gives him a granola bar. He stares at it but yanks it out of her hand when he realizes the girl in front of him will do anything and everything just to get him to accept. He's saving himself from trouble by accepting it. He then walked towards the tree with Hange following. 

Hange sat beside Levi, enough distance between the two of them so that Hange won't spread filth according to Levi. One more thing that he notices are the looks that Mike, Nanaba and Erwin sends to them. It's like they are watching a drama or something. Especially Erwin. His eyebrows makes it obvious.

* * *

It is Friday. A Friday with no Hange to do her shitty blabbering and exhaust Levi -a peaceful friday. Hange hasn't arrived yet because she was way too fascinated with today's lesson that she stayed behind and discussed the lesson with the teacher. Levi is thankful for that lesson and decided to make use of the rare silence.

He closed his lunch box and leaned against the tree. Closing his eyes, but still completely aware of his surroundings. From Mike and Nanaba's perspective Levi looks like he's sleeping, however in Erwin's perspective he knows Levi's only closing his eyes.

Hange arrived creating sound every step she takes. She arrived and suddenly started her usual rambling, she was stopped by hushed voices shushing her. She thought that her friends just wanted her to shut up so she started looking for Levi so that she can tell him about something called chloroform. She saw Levi leaning against the tree and went there, as she gets closer she noticed that Levi wasn't moving and as she walked closer she smiled at what she saw. 

It was Levi with his eyes closed. _Well guess I can't talk to him today_ she thought as she sat at her usual spot beside Levi, still keeping distance and placed a granola bar beside him. Normally, she gives him the granola bars face to face but she doesn't want to disturb Levi. Adjusting her glasses, she opened her book and started reading.

  
Enjoying the silence, Levi didn't bother letting them know that he was awake all along. One time, he opened his eyes and he saw Hange's eyes through her glasses moving as she reads. Even though Hange wasn't aware of Levi's opened eyes, she moved her eyes away from the book.

Levi quickly closed his eyes shut as if he never opened it in the first place but Hange didn't see that, what she saw however was Levi's "sleeping" face. She stared at it and let a smile form on her face.

Hange was about to go start reading again but a strong breeze passed by causing the tree to sway and some of the leaves to fall down. Her eyes following the leaves as it falls down gently swaying. Her eyes is now staring at Levi's hair with the leaves in it  
She can't help but brush her hands on his hair to remove the leaves.

Levi's head moved and she quickly but carefully moved her hand away as to not wake him up. Hange spent the rest of her lunch break sometimes joining in on Nanaba, Mike, and Erwin's conversations but most of the time she has her face in a book. Never noticing Levi opening his one eye from time to time.

The bell rang signaling the end of lunch break, Nanaba stood up and waited for Hange to finish reading one page and they went to their classroom together. Levi only opened his eyes when Hange left. He stood up and stared at the granola bar beside him hesitantly. He walked away from the tree leaving the granola bar behind but after a few steps, he let out a sigh and started walking his way back and pocketed the granola bar. _It's still food after all_ he thought as he walked to his classroom.

* * *

It was the end of the school day, and Levi was walking home to school. He stopped his tracks when he felt something vibrating. He checked his bag, and the source of the vibrating was his phone. Someone was calling. He was about to go answer it in case it was an emergency, but it stopped vibrating before he was able to answer. He decided to check the caller later when he arrived at his house. 

School has ended and Levi was walking home to school. He stopped his tracks to check his bag when he felt something vibrating, the vibration was coming from his phone. Someone was calling. He was about to go answer it, in case it was an emergency but the vibrating stopped. He decided to check his phone later when he arrived at his house.

Once he arrived, he changes out of his uniform, cleaned the house, and cooked for dinner. A sound of the door opening and some running footsteps can be heard. At the entrance of the door, a first-grader black haired schoolgirl has a stoic face as she arranges the shoes. In contrast, a pigtailed young girl is running straight to the kitchen with a big smile on her face. Levi watches from the corner of his eyes as the young girl sat on the chair trying to reach the food placed on the table that was way too far for her tiny little arms.

"Isabel, wash your filthy hands first" Levi said to the young girl as he put another piece of food on the plate. Isabel, the name of the young girl went to the sink to wash her hands but because of her small figure, she cannot reach it. Levi noticed it but he cannot help her reach the sink because he was holding a frying pan so he asked the schoolgirl to help Isabel instead.

"Mikasa, help Isabel reach the sink" Levi said while frying eggs and bacon. Mikasa, who just finished organizing the shoes went to Isabel and carried her so she can wash her hands. After that Mikasa also washed her hands and sat on the chair.

The dinner was very silent, but no one seemed to mind. It was a very comfortable silence. After that, Levi washed the dishes while Isabel watched television. Mikasa joined Isabel after she put in a couple of coins in a jar. But instead of watching, she was doing her homework.

Levi went to his room, tea in hand, and checked who called earlier. It was Erwin. He left a message too. Since he left a message anyway, Levi didn't call back and just read the message.

"I heard Hange didn't ask you the usual question" was what was written in the chatbox. When he read that, it just dawned on him that Hange did not ask that stupid question. 

"Shitty glasses finally gave up on me" Levi replied while he took a sip out of his tea. Levi just realized what he sent to Erwin of all people and mentally cursed himself. It took a few minutes before Erwin was able to reply. Levi's phone vibrated and there displayed on the screen was Erwin's reply.

"You sound disappointed, Levi" Erwin replied. Back in Erwin's place, Erwin was grinning at the phone in his hand. Levi was about to type a reply but Erwin had more messages to send.

"Why don't you take up her offer?" 

"It'll help"

Erwin messaged.

"I have no intention of helping that four eyes" Levi replied to Erwin's message then sent another message "She's your friend not mine"

"You know what I'm talking about." Erwin sent to Levi then sent another message that said   
"She'll be your friend soon :-)" 

It took Levi minutes before he can respond. He did know what situation Erwin was talking about but didn't reply to that message. Instead he replied:

"The smiley face is missing eyebrows" Levi messaged.

"Don't change the subject" Erwin messaged. Levi did not reply to the message and continued what he was doing. An hour later, Levi's phone vibrated again. Levi who was cleaning his closet, stopped his cleaning to check what caused his phone to vibrate in case it was an emergency. Levi opened his phone and he was greeted by Erwin's message. 

"She's doing well, Just informing you." is what's written in Erwin's message. It took a few minutes before Levi replied. Levi typed something along the lines of "That's good" but he pressed the backspace button and the letters slowly disappear one by one. A few minutes later he replied.

"I see" Levi replied his finger hovering over the send button but clicked it anyway. Levi put his phone back down and continued cleaning the closet. It's a peaceful night, a night perfect for cleaning his entire room. While Levi is in the middle of cleaning, he realized he used up all the soap and went out of his room to get more from the cleaning closet.

* * *

Hange is in her room earnestly writing something on her notebooks. She's sitting on her chair, in front of her is her table that is full of books and other kinds of papers. There's also coffee and her now empty dinner plate in the table. Below her, there are also books and important papers. While she was writing, she didn't notice that her elbow is near the coffee. And because she didn't notice, she accidentally hit the coffee mug with her elbow and it fell off her table. 

"AHHHH SHIT" Hange shouted when she felt the sensation of the hot coffee on her toes. Thankfully the coffee mug wasn't glass so no harm was done to Hange. Can't say the same for the papers though. Hange quickly gathered the papers below her that now has coffee stains. Hange looked around her room to look for something that can wipe the coffee. She didn't see anything that can help wipe the coffee stains on the floor but she did see how messy her room is. There's a bunch of granola bar wrappers scattered on the floor, clothes were stacked on the bed, the coffee spill near her table. It's just really messy, and cleaning it does not even cross her mind.

She went back to her table, to continue what she's writing even with the mess. She sat on the chair and tried to reach for a spare sheet of paper but there was nothing. Hange has run out of paper. There's nothing to write on. But she refused to stop writing such an interesting subject. She slipped on a hoodie from the dirty pile of clothes and grabbed some money from the pockets of her school bag. 

She exited her room with her phone and money in hand and went to the pitch-black living room. Not needing to turn the lights on, she easily located where the house key is. Her parents allows her late-night trips as long as she locks the door before she leaves. They trust her capability to take care of herself when necessary.

She was right at where the key was placed, it was hanging near the door. Hange placed her phone and money down while she wears her shoes. The key was removed as she locks and closes the door from outside. Outside, she was met by a chilly breeze that she recognized as those 12 am breezes. She opened her phone and there on the screen displayed the time. It was 12:41 am. She put her phone in her pockets and walked to the convenience store to buy paper and maybe some coffee and granola bars too.

* * *

Hange is now the only person walking in the middle of the night because of her reluctance to stop writing. Well, she was the only person before she passed through that one alley. When she passed through that alley, someone started following her every turn. She thought of running from the man but if the man runs too then it would be the end of her little experiment. The truth is, Hange just pretended to not notice the man but walks fast. Hange thinks she's getting paranoid, probably because of too much intake of caffeine for the past few weeks. Hange turned into another corner and the man followed her. Again.

Paranoid she definitely is. Instead of feeling like any normal human would feel, she feels her heartbeat increasing, adrenaline rushing through her veins. But it's not because she was scared, it was because she was thrilled.

Thrilled because she can observe how a kidnapper would do their job, something she was always curious about. She's testing if the kidnapper would take their chance since there are no people around to be suspects and just ran towards her like a psychopath but that would mean getting attention or will the kidnapper only walk and pretend to be lost as to not be obvious then strike once they are talking to her. Of course, curious as she is. Hange won't let herself be kidnapped, the phone powered on and prepared to call Nanaba, She also knows advanced self defense. She's not letting herself be kidnapped. She won't let her parents be worried and lose their trust in her.

The light from the convenience store is slowly becoming more visible as she walks closer. The man is still following her and Hange is still walking fast hoping to get some kind of information before she reaches the convenience store. She arrived at the convenience store and waited outside to see what the man would do. Hange was waiting near the door of the convenience store, visible by the ones in shift just in case something happens. If the ones in shifts are awake and alert that is. She knew that she should be entering the safe haven of the convenience store, but curiosity be damned.

The man slowly walks to the convenience store and his figure slowly becomes illuminated by the light from the convenience store. He walked a few more steps and he has clipped hair and quite a short stature from what Hange can see with only some of his feature lighted. The man stared at Hange for a second and continued walking his way to the convenience store. The light from the convenience store has fully illuminated the man. He is wearing a gray t-shirt paired with black pants, his face bore a bored expression with his gray eyes. Hange stared at the figure, a figure she knew all too well.

"You're the kidnapper?" Hange blurted out and approached the man closer.

"Do I look like a kidnapper to you four eyes" the man who Hange recognized as Levi said. Hange scratched the back of her neck, embarrassed that she thought of Levi as a kidnapper. Levi just ignored Hange and was about to push the door open but stopped at what Hange said next.

"Yeah you don't look like the kidnapper, you look like the kid that's going to be kidnapped" Hange stated. Hange dared continue with a mocking tone while adjusting her glasses and a big grin in her face "shorty".

"Tch, you're dead wrong if you think I'm gonna let them touch me with their filthy hands" Levi said giving Hange a glare from the corner of his eyes. Levi pushed the door and entered the convenience store instantly feeling the coldness of the air conditioner. Hange also entered the convenience store, following Levi.

"You would probably spray some kind of sanitizer on their hands first, like the clean freak that you are" Hange said with another wide grin present on her face, rolling her eyes. Levi just walked away with a tch and went to the corner of the convenience store that sells tea bags. Hange frowned but went to buy the things she needed.

Hange has all the things she needed to buy and is on the way to the counter to pay for it but he saw Levi looking up at the shelves and decided to help him. Hange approached Levi and asked him what box should she get. Levi turned to Hange, his face full of murderous intent.

Hange just smirked at the sight and reached the shelf with ease to mock Levi. Hange doesn't know what box Levi wants so she decided to test his reaction. She placed her hands near a box and looked at Levi to see his reaction. It didn't change. She moved her hands near another box and looked at Levi's reaction.

For only a split second, Levi's murderous intent disappeared. Hange grabbed that box and put it in Levi's basket full of cleaning materials.

"You're welcome" Hange said and smiled at Levi. Levi just replied with a tch and walked away to pay for the stuffs he bought, with Hange following him. Once they reached the counter, Hange paid for her things first. She bought paper, coffee, a couple of granola bars, and two pieces of hotdog sandwiches. Next was Levi's, his basket contains of cleaning materials and the box of tea Hange grabbed earlier. The beeping sound of the machine as Levi's items get checked is the only sound that can be heard.

"What's all the bleach for?, You're gonna use it for cleaning?" Hange asked despite knowing the answer. 

"No, I'm obviously gonna use it for mass murder" Levi said flatly. The sleepy clerk heard that and is now trying to put everything into the plastic as fast as they can.

"Bring me a body, will you?" Hange asked Levi as she brings her hand closer to the counter to grab some ketchup and mustard packets. Levi just stared at Hange while Hange just shrugged.

"I always wanted to analyze a dead body" Hange said as her eyes lit up. Levi just stared at her weirdly for a few seconds then looked at the clerk who has wide eyes and mouth open because of what they heard. Levi grabbed the plastic bag the clerk was holding and exited the convenience store. 

"Wait Leviiiiiiii" Hange shouted as she tries to catch up. Levi stopped annoyed by the sound Hange's making. It's in the middle of the night, citizens and children might wake up. Levi doesn't want to deal with angry moms ganging up on him because "Levi", his name was the sound that caused their children to wake up. 

"How do you walk so fast? Anyways here you go" Hange said then offered Levi something in plastic. Levi stared at it and took it with reluctance. When he opened it, he saw the hotdog sandwiches Hange bought a while ago. He muttered thanks under his breath and continued walking. Hange stops once in a while, struggling to put the ketchup and mustard on her hotdog.

  
"Just put the damn thing on" Levi said impatiently without looking at Hange. He turned around and went to the brunette grabbed the ketchup she's holding in one hand. Levi opened the ketchup with ease and put it on top of the hotdog. He did the same with the mustard. After he finished putting both the ketchup and the mustard he went to the nearest trash can and threw the empty packets.

The walk to their respective houses was comfortable. It wasn't silent, Hange keeps on rambling and spouting random sense while they walk. Levi replies with short sentences and grunts then sometimes only nods. But Hange doesn't mind, every time she sees him nodding or grunting she can't help but feel contented because she knows that he's listening. They were about to go their separate ways, Levi turning left to enter the alley to his house but then Hange grabbed his t-shirt.

"Hey Levi, will you save me from a failing art grade and teach me?" Hange asked Levi while still holding the back of his t-shirt.

"This again four eyes?" Levi said.

"Well it's kind of a habit now, and besides I didn't ask you that question earlier" Hange chuckled, she let go of the t-shirt she was holding but still remained at her place even when Levi started walking. He suddenly remembered something that caused him to stop his tracks.

Flashback

_Levi went to the cabinet where the cleaning materials are placed. When he opened it he saw some empty bottles of bleach and soap. He turned around to exit the house and from the corner of his eye saw the jar where Mikasa and sometimes Isabel puts money in. Seeing that, he realized he had to do something. He's the oldest for God's sake. Well, his Uncle Kenny is the oldest but he was sure Kenny doesn't give a shit about them. They can't continue living like this. Levi had to do something for them to continue living with all their necessities. Maybe he'd take up the offer of shitty glasses after all. Desperate as it may sound, It's the only thing he can do for now._

_Flashback ended_

"Ok" Levi said as he stopped walking in the dead of night barely audible but loud enough for Hange to hear.

"Yeah I'd knew you'd say-" Hange said buy being cut off by her own realization that what she think he'd say isn't what Levi said. 

"Wait, what did you say?" Hange asked in a surprised voice and went closer to Levi. She was about to grab him by the shoulders but Levi evaded it just in time. 

"Do you have shitty hearing too?" Levi hissed. Hange apologized and stepped back from Levi. 

"So why did you say-" before she can finish it Levi already walked away from Hange.

"Take it or Leave it four eyes" Levi said as he slowly blends into the darkness of the night. Wondering what he got himself into. 

Hange still can't process what happened and was thinking about it while walking to her house. She reached her house entered it, locked the door went to her bedroom, and texted Nanaba all about what happened then grabbed the paper she bought and started writing in her room table and chair still near coffee stains and granola bar wrappers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO YAYYYY HE FINALLY AGREED. I really really enjoyed writing this, especially the "bickering" part. Was that accepted as bickering? I don't really know I think it's more like Hange teasing Levi or something?. But either way, I enjoyed writing this. 
> 
> The Isabel and Mikasa part, Even I'm confused about why I did that since I don't know how to write child Mikasa's character and Isabel's character but I'll try my best.
> 
> As for my sentence construction? Weellllll, I'm working on it...
> 
> Also, I think this is going to get a little bit dramatic sometime in the future.....
> 
> The last and the most important thing,
> 
> Thank you for reading this, I hope you enjoyed it ^-^


	4. Chapter 4

Hange was finding her way to the usual tree, her sketchbook in her hand as she passed through the place bustling with noise and energy. On her way to the tree, she saw students doing various activities. There was someone who was cartwheeling in the hallways, there was a first year doing a science experiment, there was someone sneakily hiding something that looks like a cat in their bag and as much as Hange would like to stop and observe. She didn’t. Knowing that the grumpy clean freak would be waiting for her probably prepared to scold her for being late.

She said she wouldn't stop, that was a lie since she is now sitting on a bench waiting for someone to finish their phone call. While she was walking, she caught sight of a certain raven haired clean freak and was planning to surprise him from behind but when she got closer it became clear to her that Levi who is talking to someone on the phone should not be disturbed. And so she just decided to wait for him to finish the phone call and sat on a near bench. Hange was getting pretty bored waiting and had adjusted her glasses for how many times already, she tried to check her phone to ease the boredom but it failed since she did not charge her phone last night and resulted in a dead battery. Having nothing to do, she opened her sketchbook, got out a pencil, scanned her surroundings and started something she knew she’ll regret. _Sketching_

A beep came from the other end of the phone signaling that the call had ended. Levi removed his phone from his ears and looked down to start typing something. Thumbs pressing the keyboard with force and speed in a frustrated manner, he paused when a white crumpled paper was thrown at him and entered his sight. He looked away from his phone and bent down to pick up the crumpled paper. He scanned his surroundings to look for the source of this crumpled paper and there he saw Hange, glasses on her head as she tore the page from her sketchbook and crumpled it. Digging her nails into the paper as she crumples it and moving her arm preparing to throw the crumpled paper. Guess Levi isn't the only one frustrated.

“Oi, throw your junk in the right place” Levi said walking towards her way and tossing back the crumpled paper he picked up earlier. For some reason Hange saw the paper toss coming and was able to catch it with her one hand. Her other hand still holding the crumpled paper. Levi left to go to the tree, his pace surprisingly slow as if waiting for someone to follow him.  
  
Glasses now on Hange’s face, she pocketed the two crumpled papers and followed Levi to the tree. “I forgot there was such a clean freak here” Hange said with a teasing smile beside Levi. She lay her hand on top of Levi’s hair and ruffled it. An irritated look was spotted on Levi’s face and a tch escaped his mouth yet he did nothing to move the hand away. From the short time he knew her, he discovered that she likes to initiate physical contact. Often hugging her friends as a sign of greeting. He knew that it was only a waste of his time and energy if he tried to avoid Hange’s physical contact.

It still feels strange though, Levi isn’t used to someone ruffling his hair. Ever since birth, her mother rarely gives him physical contact due to her work. But even with the lack of physical contact, Levi knows her mother loves him. And besides, he prefers no physical and affectionate contact anyway. The case with Hange is a different one. _That shitty glasses knows no limits when it comes to other’s personal space_ Levi said to himself and showed no signs of fighting the physical contact delivered to him by Hange Zoe.

Under the tree was Nanaba packing her lunch bags and preparing to leave. Hange checked her wrist watch to check the time, when she did she saw that they weren’t late and was confused about Nanaba leaving. It was explained to both Levi and Hange that Nanaba is only going to the bench where Mike and Erwin are sitting to give them space for their first ever art lesson. Before Nanaba left to go to the bench she wished Levi goodluck and told Hange to not cause too much trouble for Levi. A smile was in Hange’s face as she said “Too late, I already did.”

* * *

A spare cloth was found in Levi’s hands, flattening it and setting it on the ground for him to sit on. Behind him the brunette did the complete opposite, she just settled down under the tree not even bothering to sweep the dirt on the ground. Clothes being used like a towel by Hange as she wipes her hands. Using her wiped and “clean” hands, she reached for a single granola bar in the pockets of her lab coat and offered it to Levi.

A questioning look found its way into Levi’s face as he stared at the granola bar then to Hange who just beamed at him. It took a few seconds before Levi grabbed the granola bar out of Hange’s hands and started spraying his hands with alcohol that came from his small bag.

The usual routine should have started by now where Hange reads her book and at the same time blabbering stuff to Levi while Levi just minds his own business. Sometimes drawing and sometimes doing something with his phone but still listening to Hange. 

However, that isn’t the case for this day and probably for the days to come too. For Hange didn’t bring a book along today. Instead, what she has in her hands is an empty sketchbook. An unusual silence enveloped them, and just like always it was Hange that broke it.

"Sooooooo what are we starting on?" Hange asked breaking the silence and caused Levi to stop what he was doing with his phone to respond.

"Whatever you have problems with" Levi responded lazily, making no effort to look away from his phone and to face Hange.

At that Hange just chuckled nervously, her hands at her pockets reaching for the crumpled paper earlier and threw it to Levi's way. Levi started to uncrumple the paper and flattened it out to get a better view. His eyes widened at what he saw… suddenly regretting his life choices 

"You look like you just shit your pants, shitty glasses" Levi sternly said while looking at Hange who was avoiding eye contact with the man.

"Trust me I would rather shit my pants than need help with everything related to art" Hange joked around in hopes of covering her embarrassment.

Levi, unamused by the joke, pinched the bridges of his nose and sighed "Elaborate everything". Hands inside his pockets he revealed a small notebook and a pen for taking notes. _I'm getting paid for this might as well take this seriously._

"Welllllllll I may or may not know how to draw a straight line even with the use of a ruler" Hange said sheepishly but meaning every word she said. She turned her head to face Levi. But, when she did,what she saw was a ruler in front of her face.

"You're unbelievable, four eyes" Levi said lowering the ruler so that it's near Hange's hands. No hands grabbed the ruler until a laugh was heard coming from the four-eyed girl. "I'll take that as a compliment shorty" Hange said and sent Levi a smile while getting the ruler from his hands. Levi just tched at what she said and watched his ruler get used by Hange who is drawing a supposedly straight line.

"Seeeeeeeeeeeeeee" Hange whined while dots of ink appears on the paper because of her impatient way of hitting the pen against the paper.

Levi stopped watching her and faced his own sketchbook to do the exact same thing Hange did. The difference in Hange’s work and Levi's work was plain obvious.

Hange's line was shitty and it's barely even straight, it was straight at the beginning but it ended up leaning sideways. Meanwhile, Levi's line is flawless. It's completely straight and is just perfect. A ruler wasn't even used to make that perfect line yet in comparison to the line Hange made, His was unmistakably better.

Mouth shaped into an o, Hange brought her face closer to the paper resting on Levi's lap. She adjusted her glasses to get a better view. Once she did, a sigh escaped from her mouth and turned her face to look at Levi. 

"Does this shit come naturally to other people and turns out I'm just constipated all these years" Hange said pulling at her own hair making it a bigger mess than it already was.

"This kind of shit doesn't come naturally" Levi confirmed and a smile of agreement was planted on Hange’s face at the statement she heard but vanished at the next thing he stated. "Repeat this line if you want your constipation to be cured". 

Hange frowned at that and was about to complain but was stopped by Levi's demanding glare. In the end, she complied and drew a line while giving Levi a noticeable glare from the corner of her eyes. His eyes were watching Hange and saw the glare coming from the girl but did not acknowledge it because that would mean Hange getting her way. Ignoring the glare from Hange, he observed the lines she's drawing and took note of the flaws. There was a lot. And Hange seems to know this too, an unsatisfied look on her face the moment she saw what she did.

"You should loosen your grip on the pencil and press lightly" Levi informed Hange who was watching him demonstrate what he just said. He loosened his grip on the pencil, his fingers and thumb having just enough pressure to support the pencil and used his entire arm to draw. Hange has her eyes following Levi's hand, starting to make out on how his fingers are placed and where to hold the pencil.

"Now do it" Levi commanded. With a determined look on her face, she held her pencil and loosened her grip the way Levi did. The end result was an improvement…still not straight but it didn't lean sideways until later on which was an improvement compared to the earlier lines she drew.

"Press lightly" Levi said.

"I did press lightly" Hange said, giving emphasis to the word "did"

"Pressing lightly wouldn't have murdered that shit" Levi pointed to the paper that almost had a hole because of way too much pressure the shitty glasses applied.

"Then how do you press lightly?"

Levi groaned internally and started to draw curves and lines effortlessly and flawlessly. It made Hange gasp in amusement and tried to repeat the lines she made. Levi finished drawing and looked at the motivated look on her face. _She's motivated enough to not mess up this shit_ Levi thought and stopped watching her to open the granola bar. No kind of action was done to the wrapper because his hands were suddenly grabbed.

"What the fuck are you doing shitty glasses" Levi said being uncomfortable with the sudden contact but not showing any signs of it. Hange started to rub circles on his palm, trying to figure out what made him do all those perfect lines earlier. 

If Levi was feeling uncomfortable earlier, right now he was feeling - He doesn't know what he was feeling. It took a matter of seconds before he finally pulled his hands away from Hange’s grasp. She tried to grab and reach his hand but failed in doing so because Levi wouldn't let her.

"I was trying to analyze your hands, maybe it's one of the factors in being good at art" Hange said giving up on reaching Levi’s hands and started rubbing circles on her own palm.

"Maybe it's because your hands are soft and feels nice to touch that enables you to make such flawless lines" Hange stated as a matter of factly and nonchalantly. Levi suddenly stopped what he was doing when what she said reached his ears. A tch was his reply to what Hange said and avoided her gaze.

* * *

The granola bar was left untouched on the ground as Levi drew something on his sketchbook, giving up on teaching her art.

The reason isn't because Hange didn’t understand the lesson.In fact, she was able to understand it perfectly even with Levi's not so good way of teaching. She just lacks the capability to process her thoughts into actions when it comes to art. 

Hange having nothing to do just watched how Levi draws. Hange is an observant girl and thanks to that she was able to observe how Levi hand moves. Hange tried to copy the position of his hands so that it looks like Levi's hand placement. She then continued by copying his movement as he draws, while she has her pencil in her hand. When Levi makes a curve or a line, Hange imitates how his hand moved and somehow accomplished to do what Levi did.

It turned silent because Hange was way too focused on observing Levi. Levi didn't mind the quiet but it was pretty uncanny since Hange usually rambles endlessly about anything and everything to fill the silence. From the corner of his eyes he took a glimpse at Hange who currently has her face downwards drawing something.

It came to him that she was drawing the exact same thing he's drawing. He slowed his pace so that Hange won't have a hard time keeping up. However, Hange noticed Levi’s sudden change of pace and asked him to not slow down because she likes challenges.

Levi rolled his eyes at this and started drawing with more speed than his normal pace, causing a smile to form on Hange’s face.

Levi finished his drawing first. It was a drawing of the granola bar beside him. The cursive brand, the littlest details, the shading,the shadow and the lighting were all perfect. Hange finished her drawing after a few minutes. It was….acceptable. It's far from Levi’s drawing but at the very least it looked decent. The folds of the wrapper only looked like lines and not folds. The cursive of the brand doesn't have any thick sides and looks like plain cursive that can hardly be understood. The shading…. doesn't look like shading at all. The paper almost had a hole because of the "shading" Hange did.

Levi sighed and circled every mistake Hange made with his red pen he took from his small bag. Before Hange can even react, the circles kept increasing, a frown starting to form on her face. Levi continued circling the mistakes with his bloody red pen and Hange’s frown turned into a whine.

"LEEEEEEEEEEEVIIIIIIIIIII" Hange shouted in a whining manner and attempted to take away the paper. Levi saw it coming and stood up before Hange can snatch the paper out of his hands. Standing up was a big mistake on Levi's part. He only made it easier for Hange to reach the paper, all Hange had to do was stand up and look down at Levi to grab the paper out of his hands. Which she successfully did…

get the other half of the paper. 

The other half remained in Levi’s hand due to his strong grip. In other words, the paper was split into two. Each of them getting the other half.

"Nothing a little scotch tape won't fix" Hange approached Levi and chuckled nervously, her eyes telling Levi to let go of the paper so that she can patch it up. He loosened his grip on the paper and gave it to Hange. Hange looked victorious when she obtained the other half of the paper. That look faded however, when she turned around and became aware that she had no scotch tape.

Levi just didn't care anymore about the occurrence, he's just eating his lunch while his back is leaned against the tree. He finished chewing on his food first and then preceding to notify Hange.

"Oi shitty glasses, the class is over just go and eat your food already".That made Hange stop her tracks from running the whole school to ask her seatmate named Moblit for a scotch tape.

"I don't need food, I need to learn how to improve my art grade" Hange complained yet she sat down beside Levi anyway. The quiet that surrounded them didn't last long considering Hange started her babbling about her pets- Sawney and Bean. 

Amidst the noise of her voice, a rumbling sound was released and the source was Hange's stomach. She wasn't able to hear it however, too occupied with speaking. That isn't the case for Levi. When the rumbling sound reached his ears, he looked over at the granola bar beside him then stared at Hange.

Levi's stare triggered silence around them for a few minutes. Hange stopped her babbling and asked if something was wrong. No one responded and it made her puzzled about why Levi is suddenly staring at her. Her puzzled look turned into an abashed one once she realized the reason why Levi was staring at her. The silence was all it took for Hange to figure out that her stomach made a sound and that she was starving. Before she knew it, Levi grabbed the granola bar beside him and threw it to Hange's way.

"Eat your shitty granola bar, I don't want it" Levi said, diverting his eyesight from Hange's thinking face and crossing his arms. A grin was plastered on Hange’s face the moment she figured out this was Levi’s awkward way of telling her to eat. "How adorable _"_ she muttered quietly so that Levi wouldn't be able to hear.

Hange took the granola bar out of the wrapper and used her hands to split it into two. In her mouth she was chewing the other half of the granola bar, in her hand contains the other half. With a smile planted on her face she offered Levi the other half.

Levi stared at the granola bar he's being offered and opened his mouth to decline and complain. But the instant he opened his mouth to complain, something was shoved into his mouth.

An apologetic look and a smile full of mischief can be found on Hange’s face as she shoved the granola bar into Levi's mouth. Her hands touched Levi’s chin, moving it up and down similar to the motion of chewing.

A glare was on Levi’s face the whole time but Hange wasn't fazed by it. Levi grabbed Hange’s arms, stopping the forceful chewing motion. But even if Hange's arms are above her head and being held by Levi, she's practically losing her breath for not bringing her cackles and laughs into a halt.

Hange’s joy is contagious. Looking at her any longer would have caused Levi to laugh along with her. So he did the only logical thing he could think of that time. He looked away, still holding Hange’s arms and could barely stop the corners of his mouth from moving upwards.

It wasn't until the bell rang that Hange stopped laughing. breathing in and out to catch her breath. Both of them haven't realized that Levi was still holding Hange’s arms and when they did realize it, only Levi reacted.

He loosened his grip around Hange's arms as fast as he could and stood up with Hange following. They turned their heads toward the bench where their friends are supposedly sitting. When they saw the bench, they saw no friends- it was empty.

"Tch, that damn Erwin" Levi cursed under his breath.

Collecting their things, Levi and Hange left the tree together to go to their respective classrooms. The talk about her pets that was interrupted earlier continued on their way to their classrooms.Even though Levi looked bored and disinterested, he was listening.

Levi for the most part of the conversation is grossed out by the fact that someone keeps lizards as pets and normally he would have told her to shut up already. But for some reason, he didn't. 

Their classrooms were beside each other and Levi's classroom came first before Hange’s. Levi entered his classroom and was greeted by Mike and Erwin's smug smiles. Mike sniffed the air around Levi, stopped to think for a second and made a conclusion. "I smell the bud of a rose". Levi went to his seat, a scowl present on his face.

Erwin moved behind Mike and asked the meaning of Levi's scent. A smug and at the same time proud smile is visible on Erwin's face. He wiped a fake tear at what Mike said.

"Blooming attraction" 

Hange entered the classroom and was greeted by a Nanaba who took her eyes away from her phone and gave Hange a sly smile and a pat on the back. Her face had a baffled expression, but it didn't stay that way for long since it turned into a look of eagerness and focus once their teacher entered the classroom.

And thus, the lunch break and the first day of their chaotic art session came to an end. But much to Levi’s dismay, it is only the first day and there is more to come. Little did he know, his dismay wouldn't last long.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow this took me two weeks?, Well not two weeks, I just had a lot of things to do and whenever I get the motivation to write something... I get online class homeworks aaahhhh.
> 
> Anywaysss I didn't know how to write the art lesson part... Since I'm not really good at art myself.. yeah and the struggles of Hange here are actually based from my own struggles when it comes to art. Especially the ruler one, still suffering from that one even after years passed by.(I don't really know why out of all subjects I picked art... I should have picked chemistry- something I actually know. But if I picked chemistry, the tutor would have been Hange.)
> 
> I think they're way too out of character ooofff. I'll improve on that someday but I'll keep their characters like this in this fanfic because if I try to suddenly make them in character it would seem weird I guess?
> 
> I definitely need to improve my sentence construction and the flow... I'm working on that 😁
> 
> Also, Erwin is me when it comes to my friend's relationships.
> 
> How to end this note.?
> 
> Thank you for reading!! I really appreciate it, I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Have a great day/afternoon/evening and stay safe everyone ^_^


	5. Chapter 5

_Chaotic_. A word that can describe their art session for the first week. In that chaotic first week, Levi really questioned his life choices. Teaching Hange was difficult. And it really doesn't help that he is lousy when it comes to communication. But for some reason, the fact that his communication skills are shit doesn't make teaching Hange difficult. No, Hange is able to understand Levi's words completely fine though sometimes it does take some time for her to fully understand. In the end, she always understands his words and the lesson. 

Her incapability to do her actions the way she wants to is what makes it difficult for Hange to learn. She starts all determined and pumped up and actually does a decent job but once she fails to meet her expectations, a decent job no more. Of course, she doesn't give up and is set on doing a better job. But, along with that determination of hers comes frustration and that becomes the downfall of her decent job.

During the first week, Hange only imitated Levi's actions. Whenever Levi draws something, Hange watches him and she follows suit. Doing the exact thing Levi did. It didn't really work at first, Hange struggled to get his actions right regardless of her sharp-eyed nature. But as the days of watching and granola bars passed by, even for a short time, Hange grew accustomed to Levi's actions and that caused her to successfully imitate Levi and improve her art as well. 

A red pen plays a vital role in their art lessons. It helps Levi mark circles in Hange's paper-circles that Hange oh so despises for it means her errors.

When her first art job was checked by Levi, the paper was covered by red circles marking Hange's mistakes. In every corner, there's a red circle visible and is always the cause of Hange’s whining. Levi doesn't have enough will to tolerate Hange’s whining so he just left her like that. While Hange’s whining does get on his nerves, he doesn't really care because the end result of all her whining and determination is an improvement.

After a while during the days of the first week, Her whining decreased and so did the red circles on her paper. Which Levi and Hange are both thankful for. Hange kept on improving until there was only one gigantic circle present on her paper implying that the whole shading of the drawing is wrong. Nevertheless, it is still an improvement for Hange.

Levi focused all his attention on the paper he's holding, observing it, and using his red pen to mark the errors. He removed his focus on the paper and with a neutral look on his face, turned to Hange. 

Hange turned her head slightly to the side, wanting to take a peek at her marked paper. She turned her head away when the paper moved and she couldn't see it anymore because of Levi’s hand blocking. She faced Levi again and spoke with hope apparent in her voice. 

"Did I pass?"

The paper was returned to Hange by the man who's for some reason, way too occupied with the granola bar in his hands to meet Hange's eyes. "It looks shitty" Levi stopped,waiting for a violent reaction out of the girl beside him. Hange’s mouth slightly parted for a second but stopped and smiled in realization, she moved her hands signaling Levi to continue. Levi took a breath and continued 

"It looks shitty… but you pass" 

A silence enveloped them, both of them not knowing how to react. Hange blinked once or thrice and then finally it dawned on her. She was able to pass something related to art. Maybe she's not as hopeless as she thinks.

Hange removed her glasses, placed it beside Levi, and stood up. She launched herself into the air by using her legs to take a leap. On her face was a goofy grin as her one big leap turned into continuous jumping. Without her glasses, her vision is blurry and she wasn't able to see the things around her clearly as she kept on jumping, her hands now in the air. 

Due to her blurry vision, she tripped on one of the tree branches but she didn't fall yet. Trying to balance herself, she extended her left and right arm and started flapping her both arms like a bird that's about to fly. An implausible look was on Levi’s face as he watched Hange's ridiculous attempt to balance herself. She glanced at Levi, hoping that he gets the message. It seems he did because Hange's glasses that were laying on the ground were picked up by Levi who started cleaning it. Seeing that her glasses were saved by the grumpy man, Hange stopped her balancing and allowed herself to fall straight to the ground. Ouch.

Laughter emitted from Hange's mouth though it is barely audible since her face is still facing the ground. Not bothering to stand up, she stayed in that position and the only movement she did was moving her head to Levi's side and faced him with a smile on her face and thanked Levi for saving her glasses. Levi turned away from Hange's smiling face and changed the subject as he cleans Hange’s glasses.

"It's way too early to celebrate yet shitty glasses" Levi stopped and returned Hange’s glasses by placing it on top of her hair. 

"You're just imitating me even a kid can do this shit," Levi said harshly. 

Unaffected by Levi's harsh tone, Hange just adjusted herself to sit beside Levi, leaning against the familiar tree branch. Their shoulders touching caused Levi to visibly tense. His uneasiness was left unnoticed by the girl beside him whose eyes are glistening as she talks enthusiastically about her improvements. Thankfully, Hange has a habit of moving her body when talking about something so halfway through her speaking, their shoulders no longer touched. Much to Levi’s relief who was uncomfortable the whole time because of the close proximity.

* * *

Their main focus during the second week was all about coloring. Levi went to the usual tree bringing coloring materials- pastels in hand. When he arrived at the tree, the shitty glasses were nowhere to be seen so he just placed it beside him, the spot where she usually sits. He stared at the pastels on the ground and his mind remembered his almost option to let Hange borrow the paint that his mom gave him. His brows furrowed at the memory. What came into him that the idea of letting that messy shitty glasses borrow his things even crossed his mind. His paint is destined to meet its end the moment the shitty glasses lay her hands on it. He shuddered at the thought of his precious things meeting its end and is more than grateful than he came back to his senses when he made the decision that he’s not gonna let Hange borrow his precious paint and just give oil pastels he found when cleaning his room for the girl to use.

When Hange arrived at the tree, she did the daily routine of getting a granola bar from the pockets of her lab coat and handed it to Levi who took it without looking away from his sketchbook. Hange was about to sit down at her usual spot when she noticed a box of oil pastels placed on her spot. The box was picked up by Hange who laughed amused while she put the box on Levi’s lap.

“I thought you were a clean freak? You should be more organized unless you want me to claim that box of oil pastels as my own” Hange said in a joking manner, her hands pointing to the box on Levi’s lap. Not a rude remark or a tch came from Levi causing a gasp from Hange. Levi moved his head downwards, his hair covering her eyes that didn't look away at the sketchbook.  
  
“Wait…..” Hange said as she looked at Levi with wide eyes.  
  
“You’re serious????” She asked and left her mouth hanging open, realization hitting her.  
  
The fact that Levi kept quiet only proved her point. Her confusion and shock from earlier disappeared. Trying to fathom that Levi, the grumpy clean freak gave him something. A smile on her face is present, while she's deep in thought creating silence between the two of them. 

There was a pleasant silence that was surrounding them. And as much as they want to stay in the pleasant silence, both are aware of the fact that one of them has to break the silence or they will never get anything started. Unexpectedly, it was Levi who cleared his throat that put an end to the silence. He was ready to say something- probably to lecture Hange about her habits just like he always does. but the arms that tackled him into a hug caught him off-guard and made him forget what he was gonna say. His earlier thoughts were replaced by mixed emotions.

The hug didn't last long. Forcefully removing Hange's arms that surrounded him in a hug. All warmth disappearing from his body once her arms are no longer hugging him. Somehow, he missed the cozy warmth but there's no way he's going through that again. And he made sure of that, by glaring at the girl.

A goofy grin was planted on her face as apologies came out from her mouth. Because of the goofy grin, it was obvious that Hange doesn't mean her apologies which only made Levi’s glare stronger. It didn't have any effect on Hange who just laughed Levi’s glare off.

"You know you could have just let me borrow this" Hange paused, thinking of the next words she'll say. 

"Or I could have just bought my own" Hange turned to Levi, using all her effort to hide an amused smile, trying to observe what his reaction will be. 

"Tch you'll buy the wrong kind of brand"

"You will go on and on about the origins of the oil pastels and then suggest making your own shitty pastels. And I won't be able to disagree because it's still relevant to art and as your art tutor I should be supporting that idea because it's new ways of learning"

Shit. He said it way too fast. He said too much. It sounded like he was making excuses. Which he _wasn't_ doing. 

Hange thought otherwise, a knowing look on her face that Levi so despises because it means that she knows. Luckily, Hange didn’t talk about it much further and just gave a sign that Levi can start teaching. Still with that knowing look that turned into a smirk.

Unknown to both of them, they were being watched by their friends who are currently treating their food as popcorns and watching Levi and Hange's art lesson just like how they watch a movie from a cinema. A movie Erwin is pirating, using his phone to record the hug earlier. This earned him some questionable looks from Mike and Nanaba but Erwin reasoned out that this will be needed sometime in the future to help with his childhood friend's emotional constipation. 

"Also this is good for blackmail," Erwin said casually with a mischievous look.

In the first five minutes of their lesson, Levi explained the basics of coloring and made an effort to translate it scientifically because Hange easily understands it more if it's scientific. Something he noticed during the short time they knew each other. It really helped with Hange’s improvement especially since she's not imitating Levi anymore.

Levi glanced at the girl beside him from time to time, monitoring how Hange colors her drawing. He took note of all the mistakes she's making but kept his mouth shut to not break her concentration. 

Hange's concentration is only broken when she makes a mistake. She stops and turns her face toward Levi to look for a sign of approval to continue. every so often, Hange looks at Levi for a sign of approval and accidentally makes eye contact with the clean freak who glanced at her the same time she looked at him. When that happens, Levi gives her the sign of approval she's looking for and the eye contact comes to an end, Hange's eyes returning at the sketchbook.

Hange's drawings are getting better. Of course, the ones she did during the first week are more preferable but it's only because she was imitating Levi. This week, she didn't imitate Levi and was still able to do a satisfactory job. A sign of Hange’s fast improvement.

The same can't be said for her color blending and shading, however. It can barely be called color blending and more like just a bunch of similar colors near each other. The smudging was done horribly, the shades of the colors in different areas of the drawing are uneven and there's an awful lot of scratches and white spaces. Colors are supposed to bring life into the drawing. With Hange however, colors only mercilessly slaughtered her acceptable drawing.

"What is this shit," Levi said, taking out his red pen. Hange saw it coming but still reacted with a frown on her face. She shrugged it off. She'll fix it tomorrow.

Levi called the art session off, getting ready to eat his lunch. Hange was about to start talking but before she could, Levi told her to eat her lunch first before she rambles about whatever shit. Hange frowned but disappeared, a thought entering her mind that caused her to smile and look at the egg rolls on Levi's lunch box. She waits until Levi's sight is out of his lunch and is focused on his phone. 

Levi’s eyesight was on his phone but he can still see from the corner of his eyes how the brunette snatched an egg roll from his lunch and gobbled it up. Almost choking on the process. He just let her be, he's not that hungry anyway. And besides, for once what's inside her mouth isn't a shitty granola bar.

* * *

Hange went to school with her hair a greasy mess, bags visible under her eyes, pen scribbles from yesterday still on her arms. She didn’t shower, and she looked like shit. Refusal was what Levi gave her during the days she didn't shower. He refused to teach her no matter how much pleading she did - which unsurprisingly isn't a lot. Filthy or not, routine is still routine. 

Hange gives Levi a granola bar, Levi accepts, and she talks about everything and anything. While maintaining distance of course. Levi won't permit her to get closer to him.

It took Hange one week to finally shower and they continued with their art session. Their art session for that week was full of sighs and disappointment. Those days without art lessons definitely took a toll on Hange. She forgot art lessons with Levi even existed. Levi can only sigh in relief when Hange revealed that she still remembers the methods. But that sigh of relief turned into a frustrated sigh and an annoyed look when she admitted that she forgot how to do the action.

Levi was grumpy the whole time, Hange noticed. During the time when she was drawing, Levi already cut her off and ordered her to repeat what she did. Which was really harsh, all her effort for nothing.

She was ready to complain and whine but when she looked at her work. The thought came that maybe she really needs to repeat. In the end, she did what Levi told her to do. Not a single complain or whine or talk about science escaping her mouth.

Trapped in awkward silence. No one dared break it. That was until Levi had to clear his throat to get Hange's attention. It worked, Hange's attention is now on him, her head tilted to the side. Levi is looking for words to say. Words that aren't harsh and would only trap them more in the awkward silence. Hange noticed how Levi was struggling to find his words and broke the silence.

"Just spit it out, I accept honest criticism," Hange said with a reassuring smile. 

And he did. He said everything wrong with Hange's drawing. But instead of making her repeat everything, he just corrected Hange’s mistakes by doing it on his own paper first and then letting Hange use it as a reference. It continued like that the whole lunch break. Both of them way too busy to even eat.

The next day felt off. Hange arrived at the tree earlier than usual, a frown on her face and when the rest of her friends turned up, she didn’t even welcome them for she was way too occupied checking her phone. She did, however, gave Levi a granola bar just like always when she noticed him staring expectantly. But that’s all she did that was Hange-like.

Her outlandish actions brought concern to each and every one of her friends. Levi’s face didn’t show any signs of concern, but he was, whether he liked it or not. With his sketchbook, he covered his face and closed his eyes. Enjoying the rare peace he’s given but at the same time unconsciously longing for a sound of a whine or a laugh. 

The area under the tree is exceptionally quiet without Hange’s voice. Mike, Nanaba, and Erwin tried to break the silence but failed because the mood was too tense for them to resume their conversation. In the end, only the sound of Hange’s coloring remained. The silence was broken by someone approaching and shouting Hange’s name. All heads, except Levi’s and Hange’s moved in the direction of the source of the sound.

Erwin stood up and approached the man who’s still screaming Hange’s name. He has an average height, hair parted in the middle and his face wore a troubled expression. Erwin reached the man, whose name was Moblit, and invited him to go eat with them under the tree. Moblit declined, explaining that he still needs to meet up with someone after.  
  
Nanaba kept on calling Hange’s name trying to get her attention, It didn’t get any reaction from Hange who’s engrossed in sketching. The only time she looked away from her sketchbook was when the light was blocked by something- or someone. Looking up, she saw Erwin and beside him was Moblit who had his arms crossed. 

“Hange-san you need to rest, you pulled an all-nighter for one week and all you’ve been eating are granola bars,” Moblit said out loud, hoping to inform her friends around her.  
  
Hange opened her mouth to deny everything Moblit said but she wasn’t able to when she felt someone sniffing her.  
  
“That’s why I smell exhaustion from you,” Mike said and went to Nanaba who had her mouth open.  
  
“Hange, listen to Moblit.” Erwin ordered Hange, putting emphasis on every word.  
  
“Hans, rest, or I'll take you to the clinic." Nanaba threatened while giving her cookies. 

"No clinic. Andddd I don't need to sleep or to eat because as you can see I'm all cheerful and fine" Hange said and took a bite out of her cookie to prove her point. No one was fooled by her actions.

"Bullshit"

All faces were at Levi, all of them knowing what was said came from him. With his face still covered by the sketchbook, he continued. "Rest or you'll just do a shittier job rather than improving". Even with his face covered with the sketchbook, he can feel them staring at him which he didn't pay any mind.

"If you won't listen to us, then listen to your art teacher," He told Hange before bowing to Erwin and the others and excusing himself, walking away from the tree.

"I'm sorry Hange" Somebody said from behind Hange who she wasn't able to see. Her sketchbook was snatched by the person behind her. She tried to take it back but her actions were restricted by Nanaba who had a grasp on Hange’s hands.

Nanaba's grip was too tight and Hange couldn't escape it because of her lack of energy. She did pull an all-nighter for a week after all. Hange can only have a face of dissatisfaction with what was happening.

"I'm sorry but you really need to rest," Nanaba said, worried about the state of her friend. She looked over at Mike, the boy behind him holding Hange’s sketchbook.

"It's either this or the clinic," Erwin said, not giving Hange that much of a choice. Hange groaned, failing to escape Nanaba’s grasp again.

“I will if someone lets go of my hand,” Hange said, eyeing Nanaba. Finally, her hand was free and she attempted to get her sketchbook back but was blocked by Erwin and her movements restricted by Nanaba who had her hands on Hange’s waist.  
  
“Hange, sleep.” Erwin said, his eyes looking down at Hange and his voice in a commanding tone.

Hange’s eye twitched, irritated that she was stopped repeatedly today. She sat down beside Levi, leaned her back against the tree and shut her eyes. She just registered how exhausted she is and struggled to keep conscious. Her friends are speaking in a hushed manner, comforting the girl. A pleasant aroma from beside her, entered her nose, and took all of her remaining consciousness. Before she knew it, she surrendered to her exhaustion and sleepiness.

* * *

Levi has his eyes closed, but not asleep. His eyes opened when he felt a weight on his shoulders. To know what was on his shoulders, he removed the sketchbook from his face and he saw Erwin wiggling his eyebrows. Levi didn’t know and didn’t care about the wiggling eyebrows. A scoff escaping his lips, he picked up his sketchbook and covered his face again. Something fell on Levi’s lap and caused Levi’s sketchbook to fall. He faced down to check what something was on his lap. It wasn’t something. It was someone.

He thought of shaking Hange awake, but when Hange stirred in her sleep and moved her head,showing her sleeping face still with her glasses on, Levi decided against it, he didn't want to be more of an asshole than he already is. He was unsure why, but his hands went closer to Hange’s face and removed her glasses. He placed it beside the sleeping girl carefully to not wake her up. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit guilty for Hange’s exhaustion.

Levi picked up his sketchbook and returned it to cover his face, concealing his closed eyes. The sounds around him suddenly become fainter until the only thing he can hear is Hange's snoring, lulling him into a dreamless sleep.

Levi woke up by the sound of the bell. It was a miracle how the girl is still sleeping even after all this noise. Speaking of Hange,Levi was staring at her for quite a while now. He knows he needs to wake her up or else they will be late for class. Just when he was about to slap her face lightly to wake her up, Hange’s eyes opened.

The first thing she saw was Levi’s face looking down at her. His cold grey eyes meeting hers, his hands on her face. Their gazes locked and they found themselves unable to stray away from each other’s eyes that captivated them. Without thinking, she brought her hands to touch Levi’s hands that didn’t move away, and is still holding Hange’s face.

“I knew it, your hands are really nice to touch,” Hange mumbled, stuck in a daze. Her eyes still staring at him, while her hand lays on top of his hand that remained touching her face.

Levi snapped out of his daze. Eyes widened as he realized what state they were in and hastily removed his hands from Hange’s face, averting his eyes from her gaze. He cleared his throat and Hange snapped out of her daze too. However, she did not make any movement to sit up straight, way too comfy laying her head on Levi’s lap.  
  
“Oi, shitty glasses stand up already, I don’t want to be late,” Levi said still not making eye contact with Hange. He looked down at Hange only when he heard a laugh from the girl. Hange then sat up straight and searched for her glasses.  
  
“You didn’t have to wake me up. You could have just stood up and then let my head drop the ground” Hange explained, putting her glasses on her face.

“Tch, then your hair would get more filthy than it already is” Levi stood up and brushed off the dirt on his shirt and pants. Hange reached out her hands, a sign that she needs help to get on her feet. Levi was reluctant at first but ended up offering her a hand.  
  
“So you mean you care about my well-being enough to care about my cleanliness” Hange beamed.

“Thanks” She whispered from beside Levi, hoping that he’ll hear.  
  
“I just don’t like to teach someone filthy,” Levi informed her, pretending to not hear what she whispered.  
  
“So you said, but you teach me anyway,” Hange teased.  
  
It caught Levi off guard, but he didn’t show any signs of it and just continued walking with Hange following. The walk to their respective classrooms was the same as always. Hange talking, Levi, although not looking like it, is listening. He looks bored out of his wits, but even if he wants to be bored, he’s not. Her talks are interesting sometimes.

Levi was the first one to enter the classroom, being pushed by Hange. Hange escaped his sight and ran to her classroom before Levi could even shout her name. He went straight to his desk while giving a glare to Mike and Erwin’s knowing looks. He sat down and processed what the hell just happened earlier.

* * *

The next day....  
  
Levi is the only person under the tree, all his friends are on the bench celebrating Hange’s success in making a proper artwork for once in her life. Nanaba almost dropped her cookies when Hange revealed the artwork she did. Erwin insisted on treating everyone, of course, Levi too. After all, Levi is the most responsible for Hange’s improvements. Levi declined the offer, telling Erwin that he’s not hungry and wants to have his own space. Erwin asked him about a topic he’d rather not talk about and earned looks from Hange. Seeing that he is uncomfortable about that topic, Erwin stopped and just gave him the free space he wanted. Walking away to buy their food for their mini celebration.  
  
For their mini celebration, Levi called it a day earlier than usual. Even though their art lesson ended already, Levi still has a pencil in his hand, observing his surroundings and drawing it on the sketchbook. He didn't think of drawing at first, the reason why he asked for space is that he wanted to be away from the noise so he could sleep. And he was able to get away from the noise. However, memories of yesterday surfaced on his mind when he closed his eyes. Those memories made Levi open his eyes and decided against sleeping.

In an attempt to distract himself from remembering any further, he took out his phone and clicked some stuffs here and there but it was boring him. The next thing he knew, he has a pencil in his hand and a sketchbook on his lap. 

He scanned his surroundings, taking note of the details before drawing it on his paper. The first thing he drew was the building behind them looming around the campus, His face slowly moving down as he observed. Once he was done with the scenery, he moved on to drawing people- more specifically people's faces. His eyes searched for Erwin, his face would be the first one he'd draw. That was supposed to be the plan. Instead, While searching for Erwin, his eyes caught sight of a familiar pair of shitty glasses and the idea of drawing Erwin was disregarded.

His attention was on the spectacled girl for a few minutes then went back to his sketchbook and started sketching. He started with her hooked nose, then her messy hair tied up in a ponytail. She looked at Hange once again, planning to draw her glasses. He stared at her longer than he'd like to admit. He noticed her eyes under the glasses.

The eyes that fill up with wonder and passion whenever science is the topic, the determined eyes that make it through the tough art lessons he gives her, sometimes, the eyes that lack the usual energy and just looks tired and unsuitable, the hazel eyes that glimmers with hope when he uses his red pen to check her paper, the eyes he almost drowned in, and more importantly…. the eyes that sent a curious gaze towards him by none other than Hange Zoe.

Levi frantically grabbed the eraser beside him, and with one move of his hand, his sketch of Hange’s face was erased -as if it was never there. He erased it just in time and Hange wasn't able to witness how his erasing almost tore a hole on the paper. Which rarely happens. As Hange was coming closer to him, he hid his sketchbook behind his back and started fiddling with his phone, trying not to acknowledge her presence. But of course, failed.

"What are you doing here, four eyes?" Levi asked, looking up to see Hange holding bread that Erwin treated them to. 

"You look like you need company," Hange said, sitting beside Levi and offering him bread. Which Levi took and started eating.

"Anyways Levi" Hange looked at Levi. Levi stopped fiddling with his phone to look at her.

"What now four eyes" Levi answered with a sigh, his eyes back at his phone. 

"Why aren't you celebrating? I heard Erwin said-" Hange started but was cut off by Levi.

"Mind your own business shitty glasses" Levi scolded.

"You know very well I won't…. Buttttt fine I'll mind my business for now. I'll know someday though" Hange declared proudly which earned a tch from Levi.

"You really should celebrate with us, I did a proper artwork for once in my life" Hange pointed out. 

“Tch, that shit can barely be called a proper artwork” Levi stated as he gets another bread from the paper bag beside Hange.

“Hmmm,” Hange said deep in thought.  
  
“Then, why did you accept it?” Hange asked, hands on her chin.

“Despite how shitty it looks, it’s less shitty than the other shits you made,” Levi admitted. It really was progress for Hange, there’s no denying that.

“Guess you won’t be getting rid of me yet” Hange grinned.

“Unfortunately” Levi confirmed, but the evident hesitation as he said that only made Hange smile at him. The knowing smile.

The comfortable silence they fell in didn’t last long because Hange kept on rambling about everything and anything. It continued like that until the bell rang. The bench was left abandoned by their friends when Hange and Levi looked at the spot. Just like always, they were the only ones left and are forced to walk to their classroom together. Their walks were no different, Hange talks, Levi listens, Hange shows her gratitude by shoving Levi into his classroom and zooms away. Too used to her treatment, he didn’t bother chasing and yelling the name of the girl and prepared himself to witness the smiles on those two giant’s faces. And there it is, the annoying smile on Mike’s face. He walked over to his desk and sat down, taking out his notebooks for the next subject. 

While waiting for the teacher, he noticed that there wasn’t anyone managing their class, no wonder it was literal chaos inside. A few minutes later, his phone rang. It was Erwin, the noise from the other end was too eerily quiet, there’s rattling sounds, and footsteps he knows all too well. Erwin wasn’t in school. The phone call ended and the sight on his phone’s notification bar caused his eyes to widen. On the notification bar, there were sixteen missed calls and twenty unread messages. _Shit_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is where the plot thickens(I think)
> 
> Helpppp??? For some reason, the chapter gets longer... This is longer than my first draft...
> 
> I reallllllyyyyy need to improve my writing. I'm kind of unsatisfied with my work but I enjoyed writing this. 
> 
> I really need to stick to one writing style. I'll work on that... Oh, my sentence structure too.
> 
> I really wish I can do better than this. No, I actually know I can do better than this...I just have a lot of things to deal with... Which sucks.
> 
> Hopefully while writing this fic I can improve along the way...
> 
> I really need to improve my author's notes... I don't know how to end them lol
> 
> I do know one thing though...
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> Keep safe everyone ^-^ 
> 
> Thank you again!!!


	6. CHAPTER 6

Monday, lunch break was just like any other lunch break. Students wandering around the campus searching for a place to stay. Each of their noises fills the air and results in a campus with bustling energy. 

One of the students searching for a place to stay was Hange. her hands were on the tips of her glasses, her eyes squinted as if trying to find someone. She remained at the spot for five seconds but soon moved when her eyes did not catch sight of something or someone that stimulated her interest. Maybe he's there already, she thought to herself as she started to walk her way towards the regular spot under the tree.

While walking, a granola bar is clenched in her hands. Already prepared to give it to Levi the moment she sees him. She thought of his way of reacting and just thinking of the way he will react made her legs to cover a lot more distance. She was practically running now, she keeps bumping on random students and always ends up yelling an apology. One of the students she bumped into was someone she knew.

It was Erwin.

Hange's running was halted due to Erwin's gigantic size blocking her way. She looked up, meeting Erwin's face and then gave him a greeting with a smile. She took a peek behind Erwin, expecting a small grumpy clean freak to scold her about running in the campus. However, when she did, she was met with nothing. The smile she’s wearing vanished from her face for a split second but it returned when she offered Erwin to walk to the tree with her. Erwin nodded at Hange, agreeing to her offer. It’s been a long time.

Hange talked to Erwin like she hasn’t seen him for a month. Her mouth chattering endlessly, unaware that she’s shutting down all of Erwin’s attempts to reply. What Hange was talking about was interesting, at least Erwin found it interesting. He opens his mouth to contribute some of his thoughts concerning the topic but soon closes it shut when he realizes none of his replies were reaching Hange- who was way too immersed in her chatter that she ended up ignoring Erwin’s remarks earlier.

Hange’s mouth finally closed when a certain name reached her ears. She stopped her tracks but continued her walk, however this time no words or any noise came from Hange’s mouth. A sign that Hange is waiting for an explanation. Which Erwin did with an amused smile on his lips. _So it’s his name that gets her attention. Interesting._

“Levi informed me about his absence today, he said that he has some matters to attend to” Erwin explained, still walking with Hange. His eyes were focused on Hange’s facial expressions, waiting for a change.

It was only for a split second but Hange’s face did change into a frown, her lips closed tight while her eyes stared at the floor beneath them. However, it didn’t last long and transitioned into her typical smile.  
  
“That’s a shame, what am I gonna do with this granola bar then?” Hange chuckled, her hands waving the granola bar around. While waving the granola bar around, her eyes widened, a thought entering her mind. Her hands patted Erwin’s shoulders, getting Erwin’s attention and stopping him from taking another step.  
  
“Erwin, you know where Levi lives right?” Hange asked.

“What do you need it for?” Erwin replied, then continued “I’ll give you Levi’s ad-”  
  
“OK then that’s great” Hange cut Erwin off, removing her hands from his shoulders and extended her arms to do a stretch. 

“I need you to give something to him” Hange requested. Moving her feet behind her to trying to create a form of traction.

"Why not give it to him instead,” Erwin suggested. But Hange didn’t hear it.

“Race you to the tree Erwin” Hange yelled as she ran, leaving Erwin with his eyebrows furrowed.  
  
“Seriously, that girl” Erwin muttered and followed after Hange. It’s just like Hange to leave him hanging when an idea comes to her mind. There’s no stopping Hange from doing what she wants. She’s a stubborn one that’s for sure. It might not look like it but she’s just as stubborn as Levi. A smile appeared on his face at the thought of them. Maybe he should really give Hange Levi’s address at this point. What’s the worst that can happen?  
  


* * *

Erwin arrived at the tree and was met with the scenery he expected. Mike and Nanaba were having a conversation with each other, a package of baked cookies beside them. Hange has her face stuck in a book. That, Erwin knew already even without looking at her. He realized he was wrong when he started to approach Hange, he was able to distinguish the book clearly as compared to before.

It wasn’t a book. It was wider and has more surface than most of the books she reads. What Erwin saw next was Hange’s hand moving, and that movement was all Erwin needed to make his conclusion. Hange doesn’t have her face in a book. 

It was in a sketchbook and she seemed to be writing in it. From time to time, Hange has a sly smile planted on her face satisfied with what she’s doing. That sly smile Erwin sees convinced him that Hange isn’t reading. She never has that expression when reading. True, she does enjoy reading, but she didn’t express her enjoyment that much. 

Erwin can’t help but be curious about the cause of his friend’s expression. Curious as he may be, he won’t interfere unless necessary. He doesn’t even need to interfere. It was Hange herself that approached him. 

In her hands was a granola bar with a folded paper stuck on top of it. She sat beside Erwin, initiating a conversation with him, the granola bar still in her hands. Minutes later, Erwin smiled in realization. He cut off Hange’s chatter with his statement.  
  
“So do you want to give me that to Levi or not?” Erwin teased. His hands pointing at the granola bar. “Just say so if you want to,” Erwin continued.

Hange stopped her talking, she faced Erwin with a guilty look on her face. She got caught. Hands on the back of her neck, she said “Geez, Erwin you caught me but I really wanted to talk to you”. She handed over the granola bar to Erwin and then started talking about her latest experiment. Erwin watched her as she talked about the subject with intense passion. He missed that passion, lately though, it’s Levi most of the time who sees that passion of hers.

Clutching the granola bar, an entertained smile appeared on his face. Maybe it’s because he was simply entertained by Hange’s passion, maybe it’s because he missed Hange’s smile, or maybe it’s because of Levi’s reaction later once he receives the granola bar. Either way, he decided to give the granola bar to Levi later and at the same time maybe drop off at a convenience store.

* * *

The sound of hands pressing buttons of a calculator can be heard at the living room of Levi’s house. He sits on the couch, in front of the couch is a glass square-shaped table that has a jar of coins and bills resting on top of it. He put his hands on the lid of the jar, twisting it to open. However, before he was able to open it, a sound of a “ding dong” reached his ears. He didn’t instantly stand up, thinking that it was just kids playing pranks. But when the “ding dong” sound didn’t leave, he had no choice but to stand up. A sigh escaping his mouth.

He reached the door and turned the doorknob, instantly seeing the sight of a bag packed of sweets and other variety of convenience store foods in the hands of a huge man with blonde hair and thick eyebrows. 

“I thought you were supposed-” Levi spoke up but was cut off by Erwin who allowed himself to enter Levi’s house and placed the bag of foods on the chair.

“I will go, I just needed to drop that off,” Erwin said while walking towards the door. He heard Levi mumble a “thanks” and stopped. He turned towards him and said as he exits “you better thank Hange for this, if it wasn’t for her the thought of bringing you food wouldn’t cross my mind”

Levi’s eyes widened for a second but it quickly reverted back into his normal face as he stared at Erwin’s retreating figure. His legs lead him back to the couch to resume what he was doing earlier but before he can sit down, two familiar figures enter the door. It was Mikasa and Isabel.

Mikasa went to the table and opened the jar’s lid with ease. Hands on her pocket, she took out a couple of coins and put them in the jar one by one. She patted her skirt pockets, searching for more money. There was none left. Her face had a frown, but without complaining, she moved away from the table and started walking to her room. She stopped when she heard Levi’s voice.  
  
“Oi, leave some for yourself” Levi stated, stopping Mikasa from taking another step.  
  
“I’m an elementary student, I don’t need that much money except for emergencies. If there’s an emergency then I have my own savings” Mikasa replied without looking back and continued walking to her room.  
  
Levi sighed. That’s exactly the reason why Mikasa shouldn’t bother herself with this. She’s just an elementary school student for god’s sake. This situation is robbing Mikasa of her chances to enjoy her childhood. She doesn’t have to grow up yet. It’s too early for her to grow up. He’s the oldest, he should do something about this.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a rumbling sound from beside him. The source of the sound was Isabel. She was sitting beside him, her feet moving up and down while she looked at Levi with an embarrassed but radiant smile on her face. Levi took it as a sign to start preparing for dinner. He stood up and went to the kitchen, Isabel following after him.  
  


* * *

The dinner was filled with tension from the recent events. Only the sound of clattering spoons and forks were heard. Thankfully, Isabel started humming and it helped ease the tension just a little bit. Once all of them are done eating, they each did their respective chores and went back to their own businesses.

It has been three hours since dinner ended, the living room is shrouded in darkness but the light from the lamp post outside the house illuminates some part of the room where the clock is placed. But it wasn’t illuminated enough to make the numbers of the clock visible.  
  
Levi has his head hanging on the couch, gazing at the darkness of the ceiling. The ticking clock got Levi’s attention and he turned his head to check the clock. Even though some part near the clock is lit by the light outside, it didn’t reach the actual clock. However, even without seeing the time clearly, Levi is aware of how late it is.

Deciding that it’s late enough, Levi sat up from the couch and gathered the scattered papers on the table. He arranged them by piling them on top of another, placing a calculator over the paper to keep them from flying away. After that, he went to the wall where the light switches are located, his index finger pressed it and light came shooting from the ceiling, revealing the disorganized living room. 

He scrunched up his face at the sight, an urge to clean entering his body. Before he knew it, his legs brought him to the closet where the cleaning supplies were found. It was in the middle of the night yet he was cleaning. He really didn’t care about the time he was cleaning, every hour, minute and second can always be a time for cleaning. And besides, it serves as a distraction from his recent thoughts regarding the incident.

His cleaning was temporarily stopped when he saw a familiar shaped object wrapped in messy papers laying on top of the couch. When he opened it he saw that it was the same granola bar Hange gives him whenever they meet. He picked it up, observing the granola bar then placed it down again. The mop was moved aside as he crouches down, taking a peek under the couch. _Four eyes gave this, for sure there’s a shitty note here somewhere_

Levi froze at the thought. He shook his head and collected himself, brushing off the dirt from his pants, and grabbed the granola bar along with the mop. By going to the cleaning closet, Levi passed by the kitchen and saw two pieces of paper resting on top of the table. Thinking that it was important, he has thought of checking it out. But after he returns the cleaning supplies.

He was wrong when he thought it was important. It’s just the note he was searching for earlier, it’s just Hange’s note. Not important at all.  
  
He picked up the paper beside Hange’s note and started to read it. The note was from Mikasa and it read:  
  
_A love letter from your girlfriend beside this paper_  
  
_-Mikasa_

One second hasn’t even passed but the moment he set his eyes on it, he instantly crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash bin. However, it ended up on the floor instead of the trash bin, resulting in a tch from him. 

There was a screeching noise produced when Levi set his hands on the chair handle, pulling it out to sit on. Levi, now sitting, allowed his hands to grab the paper and open it. His brow creased at the sight of the contents in the paper. It contains a bunch of messy drawings in the form of chibi, it also contains some writings, which he decided to read first because his name written in all capital letters was hard to ignore. Under his name was a letter, there were a lot of scribbles and the words were going downwards. It said:

_LEEEEEVIIIIIIIIIIIII_

_How are you doing Levi? I heard from Erwin that you have some things to take care of and can't go to school because of it. Sooooooo I guess no art classes huh? YAYYYYYYYYY I was spared from the bloody red pen. Anyways, you probably had a shitty day. So here's a granola bar to make your day less shittier!!_

_I know you're not a fan of the granola bars I give you, but I also know you eat them anyway. So prepare because starting now your life will be filled by a shit ton of granola bars whether you like it or not._

_Make sure to eat this ok. You need to eat, you look like you'd rather clean than have a proper dinner.You really won't grow an inch at this rate. Hmmmmmmm maybe I should buy you milk...gotta go to buy an Ackerman some milk._

It was the end of the note. Well, for the front part at least. Levi flipped the paper over, sentient that Hange didn't end the note just like that. And he was correct, there was a continuation of the letter on the paper. His eyes resumed his reading. It said:

_…..So I'm broke…. Well, I actually have money on me right now but I won't spend it on something like milk. Let's just say my money isn't enough to buy milk. I apologize for not being able to help you get taller. Lack of money stops me._

_BUTTTTT don't worry you grumpy clean freak, I'm gonna list making you tall as one of my life goals. I guarantee you. You are going to get tall. (In your dreams I mean)_

_In all seriousness though, eat the granola bar and take care shorty, See you soon._

Levi’s initial reaction while reading the letter was annoyance. He can only roll his eyes at the words that struggled to fit on the paper because of Hange’s untidy and scrawny handwriting and also because Hange was making fun of his height. As he interprets the letter further, his annoyance transitioned into a softer expression. It didn’t last long because it disappeared from his face as soon as he was conscious of his expression.

Still sitting on the chair, boredom struck Levi. Having nothing to do, he stood up and went to his bedroom to get a pen and a sheet of paper. He returned to the kitchen and started writing his reply.  
  
_Four eyes,_

He frozed, confused about what to write. He never wrote a message to anyone unless it’s needed for school. His pen touched the surface of the paper, leaving a visible inkblot. He taps his pen in frustration, waiting for the words to come to his mind. There were no words entering his mind and that caused him to internally groan and just get it over with. _Shitty glasses won’t receive this anyway_ he thought to himself. His pen tapping came to a halt and began to write his reply once again in neat and perfect cursive. And in another sheet of paper, the inkblot is way too visible on the other paper so he used a separate one for the sake of looking neat.

_Four eyes,_ _  
_ _  
_ _Don’t you “yayyyyyy” at me, once I start going to school again you’ll have a lot of shits to work on. Fucking tests are coming up so memorize the terms and other shits that needs memorizing._

_You’re one to talk about proper dinner, I’m not the one who has their daily diet consisting of shitty granola bars during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You should fix your diet. This is why you have shitty eyesight._ _  
_ _  
_ _And for the shitty granola bar, it didn’t make my day less shitty… but thanks anyway… and_ _  
_ _  
_ _Fuck you and your milk_  
  
Levi’s satisfaction was evident in the last sentence he wrote. He placed his pen on top of the paper to keep it from flying away. Thinking that it was late enough, he grabbed the granola bar and walked to his bedroom. He made a stop to surround the living room and kitchen with darkness by using his forefinger to press the light switch.  
  
He was way too occupied the next day, that he didn’t notice the missing piece of paper on the table. He didn’t even bother going to the kitchen and eating breakfast. 

After a phone call he received, his plans of going to school were no more. He changed out of his school uniform and snatched from the table, the only breakfast he would have. It was the granola bar from last night.  
  
In a rush to leave, he slammed the door as he exits, not bothering to check the other parts of the house. Outside the door was Erwin holding a piece of paper in his hands. Erwin studied Levi and understood his situation. Erwin spoke nothing of it and just offered Levi to walk with him until the roads where they have to part ways.

In one of their conversations, while walking, Erwin suggested that he comes along with Levi. However, Levi declined, telling him that it won’t do any good and will only mess up his perfect attendance record. Seeing that Levi is right, he said his farewell and resumed his walk to school while Levi went the opposite way to reach the place where he’s needed.

* * *

Under the tree was Hange. Her face absorbed into a book, back leaned against the tree. She was so absorbed in reading that the only time she averted her eyes away from the book was when a folded paper was positioned right in front of her eyes. Hange put her book down, looking up to see the source of the folded paper. It was Erwin. His hands extended and his body blocked the light. Hange’s head bobbed to the side as if looking for something.  
  
“If you’re looking for Levi, he’s absent again” Erwin informed. Hange replied with a quick okay, starting to raise her book back to her face to continue her reading but stopped when she heard Erwin continue.  
  
“He left a note,” Erwin said, reaching Hange the folded paper. Hange squinted her eyes at the paper before taking it skeptically. Once it was released out of his grasp, he walked away from Hange to give her privacy. He went to the bench where Mike and Nanaba are sitting. Nanaba has her hands extended, offering Erwin a cookie. Which he gladly took and took sat beside Mike.  
  
“They should just get each other’s phone numbers already,” Nanaba sighed. This resulted in a sly smile from Erwin. A sly smile that didn’t escape Mike’s sight. “Don’t worry, they’ll have each other’s phone numbers soon”. Mike raised his brow at what Erwin said.  
  
“What did you do?” Mike questioned, examining Erwin.

“The right thing,” Erwin said seriously, sitting straight with shoulders back as he took a bite of his cookie. His eyes staring at the girl currently copying something from the paper he gave her.

It is true though, Erwin did the right thing. When Erwin asked if Levi needed the paper on the table- which he happened to see some contents accidentally while staring at his plate. Levi’s exact words were “Do whatever you want with it”. So Erwin really did what he wanted with it. All he did really was, just give the note to Hange and he may or may not have added Levi’s phone number.  
  
They should be grateful for his help.

* * *

In the darkness of Hange’s room, she lays on the stained bed along with a bunch of crumpled papers and her charging phone. Beside her is a table where her glasses and the lamp that is turned off is placed. She opened her eyes, a groan escaping her mouth when sleepiness didn't visit her.  
  
Hange is aware that she should be sleeping. Nanaba even called her earlier just to remind her to sleep, and she did follow Nanaba, she tried to sleep. However, it failed and she wasn’t able to sleep. She decided that she should use her phone until sleepiness struck her and she did just that.  
  
Without moving from her spot, she extended her arms and patted the table, looking for the phone amidst the darkness. Once she found it, she pressed the power button and in an instant, she was met by the brightness of the phone. The phone was so bright that Hange had to squint her eyes just to drag down the notification bar to decrease the brightness.  
  
Hange noticed that there were more notifications than usual. She concluded that it’s a message because of the familiar icon present, she just doesn’t know who’s the sender of the message. It doesn’t help that her eyesight is blurry to determine the identity of the sender. She had to extend her hands just to reach her glasses from the table.  
  
Glasses on her face, her vision started to adjust until she could see the message clearly. She couldn’t help but grin at the nickname of the sender. She set it earlier when she typed in the number written on the paper and then sent a milk emoji. The nickname was “clean freak” which she knows as Levi.  
  
Her grin got wider when she opened the message. It said:  
  
_clean freak: I do not need your shitty milk_  
  
A chuckle escaped Hange’s mouth, she started tapping the keyboard as soon as a reply came to her mind. It didn’t take long and Hange didn’t even hover her finger on the send button and just pressed it as soon as she was done. Her reply was:  
  
_Hange: You need it to become taller, consider it as my good deed_  
  
Hange watched the screen, expecting a reply. Her eyes landed on the time and it said 12:20 am. It’s pretty late and the chances of Levi replying back to her message is low. She’s certain about that fact. But still, she couldn’t take her eyes away from the screen.  
  
Seconds later, Hange’s eyes which are still looking at the screen, widened when the message was left on read. Just to be sure, she sent a message of a single question mark.  
  
She didn’t need to wait for a reply any longer. The message was left on read as soon as she sent it.  
  
Hange smirked at the phone, she began to smash the keyboard with her fingers, sending a bunch of random alphabets continuously that would have made an intolerable notification sound on the sender’s end. She repeated that until three dots moved up and down, indicating that someone is typing. All it took was one ding to make a victorious smile present on Hange’s face. The ding sound was produced because of a sent message It said:  
  
_clean freak: you’re so damn annoying_

Even before Levi sent his reply, Hange already had her fingers on the keyboard, preparing to respond. So when Levi sent his reply, the only thing Hange had to do was press the letters on the keyboard.  
  
_Hange: You should have known that when you gave me your number. Here have a granola bar  
  
Hange: Oh there’s no granola bar emoji  
  
Hange: Have a chocolate bar instead  
_  
Hange sent those three messages continuously and in turn, the reply she got from Levi was a single question mark. Hange shrugged it off and sent more messages.  
  
_Hange: You don’t eat chocolate? I’ve never met one who doesn’t eat chocolate. Sometimes they’re WAYYYYY too sweet but you should try eating one. Life just isn’t complete if you haven’t eaten chocolate at least once. I can upgrade the granola bars to chocolate once in a while I guess? But money says no so yeah bear with “shitty granola bars” as you call it._  
  
It took ten seconds for Hange to send the message she typed. And just like with the earlier messages, Levi immediately left it on read but this time he replied. His reply didn’t acknowledge the message about chocolate though. It read:  
  
_clean freak: How the hell do you have my number_

  
Hange blinked at the screen a few times. She placed down her phone and laid it on top of her breathing chest. Her eyes now on the dark ceiling instead of the phone. A minute of thinking passed by and she brought her phone to her face again, pressing her fingers on the screen, typing a reply.  
  
_Hange: The note has your number in it. Although it was probably written by a different person because when compared to the message and the number, the message is more grumpy shorty clean freak- like.. And also, it’s in flawless cursive. You’re the type who’ll write even their phone numbers in cursive.  
_  
Hange sent the message and started typing another response again. Ignoring the fact that the first message was only left on read by the receiver.  
  
_Hange: The number wasn’t written in cursive and therefore cannot be possibly written by you BUTTTTTTT  
  
Hange: It still doesn’t change the fact that you wrote a reply to my note. Who would have known that there’s a not grumpy side of you _

The three dots that started moving were visible on Hange’s screen until it came to a halt and disappeared. Leaving the message on read caused Hange to type another message.  
  
_Hange: oH MY GOD LEVI, YOU DIDN’T KNOW I RECEIVED THE NOTE????? Sooooooo you wrote a reply thinking that I’ll never receive it anyway._  
  
Again, the message was left on read but Hange was pretty laid-back about the fact that her messages are only left on read and typed more messages.  
  
_Hange: From the lack of response, I know I’m right.  
  
Hange: I received the note btw and really, you need no hesitation in sending it you know? I gotta admit though, it is adorable that you wrote me back only with the thought of me not receiving it anyway. I’m not sure why but I find that so adorable???? _  
  
_Hange: adorable grumpy shortass clean freak_  
  
As soon as the messages were sent, it was instantly seen by Levi and suddenly Hange felt a jolt of electricity keeping her from falling asleep. She rolled over her bed, now laying on her stomach as she held the phone in her hands, eagerly waiting for a reply that soon came.  
  
_Clean freak: Do you just message every number you see shitty glasses?_  
  
As she read that, she unconsciously raised her feet, moving it back and forth. She was unaware because she was way too busy coming up with a reply.  
  
_Hange: Well, I do it when I‘m bored. And I’m easily bored. I’m bored almost every time of day so to answer your question, Yup I do.  
_  
_Levi: Do you never care that you might be calling something or someone shady?_  
  
Hange beamed at her phone, satisfied at the reply she thought of. Her fingers tapped the keyboard and typed the reply. It said:  
  
_Hange: Concerned? Well don’t worry because all my life the only shady person I messaged is a grumpy clean freak who happens to be good at art._  
  
It was left on read, and left on read, it remained. Ten minutes passed by and there was still no reply. Hange’s smile from earlier was replaced with a frown as she typed her message, with a slower change in her speed compared to earlier.

_Hange: LEVIIIII DONT LEAVE ME ALONE I'M SCARED OF THE DARKKKK_

There was no reply. It wasn’t even left on read. Hange can accept it though. After all, It’s past midnight already and they still have school the next day. The softness of the foam of the bed convinced her to lay her head. And so she did. With her glasses on top of her head and her shoulder covering her eyes.  
  
Under that shoulder on her face, was her closed eyes preparing to sleep. Sleep didn’t come to her when a “ding” sound was heard, snapping her eyes open to check the cause of the sound.  
  
She opened her phone and was met by a message. It said:  
  
_clean freak: bullshit you aren’t afraid of the dark_  
  
It was the truth. Hange wasn’t afraid of the dark. It was just used as an excuse to talk to him longer especially since it was boring just waiting for sleep to take her. She didn’t really think that Levi would notice, but now as she reads the reply she was proven wrong.  
  
Her eyes wince as she goes over her message again, cringing at the obvious desperation and feeling embarrassed. That embarrassment didn’t last long when she read Levi’s reply again. Somehow, the thought of Levi being aware of her not fears made happiness sweep in, replacing the embarrassment she’s feeling from earlier.

  
_Hange: Very observant, Ackerman_

It was a lame reply. Even Hange was attentive of that but it will do. She watched the three dots moving up and down, waiting for a reply. While waiting, her mind is already filled with possible responses to send.  
  
Her mind enjoyed this. She enjoyed this. She enjoyed being with Levi, even online, in general. There’s never a dull moment with Levi, that boy is unpredictable. But unpredictable as he may be, the day will come when Hange can read him like an open book.  
  
_Levi: So now we’re calling each other by our surnames shitty glasses?_  
  
Hange can only snicker at her phone as she reads that lame reply. His reply is lamer than her reply earlier. While typing, it occurred to her that maybe Levi doesn’t know her surname. She used that fact as a source of teasing.

_Hange: *gasp* you don’t know my surname??? I’m hurt :(:(  
_  
Truth be told, Hange really didn’t mind if Levi doesn’t know her surname. She’s not one to hide her surname but she’s not the type to be blunt about it either. In contrast to Levi, who has his surname labeled on all of his school supplies.  
  
_Hange: I’m only kidding, it’s alright if you don’t know my surname  
_  
Just as she expected, the message was left on read.  
  
It’s a good thing Hange predicted it and prepared a backup message. The backup message served as the foundation of another conversation. It asked:  
  
_Hange: Do you want to know my surname?_  
  
Hands already on the keyboard, she started typing another message. Not bothering to wait for a reply she knows will never come.  
  
_Hange: It’s Zoe.  
_  
Unlike earlier, she didn’t need to wait long for a reply.  
  
_clean freak: I know your surname shitty glasses and Zoe sounds weird with Hange.  
  
Hange: Hey that’s rude Zoe is perfect for me.  
  
Hange replied back, actually not being offended. Her mind was conjuring up replies, the moment the right reply came to her, she smiled devilishly at her phone as she typed the message.  
  
Hange: Unless you are implying that Ackerman sounds better with Hange.  
  
_At that, Hange smiled victoriously, fascinated that she caught Levi off-guard. However, she was proven wrong when two notification sounds were heard coming from her phone. It didn’t even take a minute to send.

_clean freak: Hell no. you being an Ackerman is a nightmare  
  
clean freak: You’d make a shitty mother _  
  
Hange was getting pumped up. She wanted to think of a response that’s just as good as Levi’s. She really enjoys Levi’s company, it makes the gears on her brain work and she likes that. It was obvious thanks to the goofy grin spotted on her face while her fingers press the keyboard. Even though she was frustrated with the reply she came up with, the smile didn’t withdraw from her expression.  
  
_Hange: I’m not a shitty mother, I’d cook lunches for you, and then when you forget them, I’ll go to school and deliver it to you. I’d also hug and pinch your adorable cheeks all the time. Oooohhh ooohhhh then then then I’d read you chemistry bedtime stories  
_  
The yawn that came from her mouth was disregarded as she waited for a reply, her fingers tapping the phone case making a sound.  
  
_clean freak: That’s exactly why it’s shitty. Who reads their kids chemistry stories? And you’re more likely to forget your lunch than your kid. And poor kid being forced to at your shitty cooking._  
  
Without delay, Hange typed her reply, positive that she caught him off guard with what she thought of.  
  
_Hange: yeah, you do have a point maybe I'm the kid lololol  
  
Hange: Papa Levi  
  
Hange: or would you rather be called daddy? _  
  
Hange was stunned by the quick reply. And once again, the thought that she caught him off guard was confirmed wrong.  
  
Or not.  
  
Levi’s reply was composed only of two words. Those two words are frequently mentioned when someone loses an argument or if the person is annoyed. Hange took it as the former.  
  
_clean freak: fuck you_  
  
After Levi sent that, his nickname was changed to “papa clean freak” and in turn, Hange’s nickname was changed by Levi to “shitty glasses”.  
  
Their conversation didn’t end there. Hange refused to let it end. Whenever she senses that a conversation is nearing its end, a new topic is always brought up. She talked about her pets, extended the message about chocolate she sent earlier, and texted about her science experiment. Levi cuts her off by sending a link to the art terms that needs memorizing and will be part of the upcoming test. Even in text, they have their art lesson.  
  
Deciding to play along with Levi, an art website was sent into their conversation. Hange asked Levi to open it. And of course, Levi as his art teacher had no choice but to do his duty and check the link. But when he opened it, there was nothing related to art on that website. Instead, an all too recognizable tune is what he was greeted with.  
  
Levi was rickrolled. 

And that became the topic of their conversation. Which went like this:

_shitty glasses: so what do you think?  
  
papa clean freak: How is this still relevant?  
  
shitty glasses: It just is. Anyways, what do you think about the website? I programmed it myself you know. _

_papa clean freak: It’s shitty.  
_  
Hange couldn’t help herself and rolled her eyes as she typed her reply.  
  
_shitty glasses: Lemme translate that for you  
  
shitty glasses: Translation: Wow four eyes, you did this yourself? You did a good job. Now go memorize the art terms I sent you.  
  
papa clean freak: you better be prepared the next time we meet _  
  
Hange sighed, even online he doesn’t change. Welp, guess Hange’s theory about Levi having a different online persona is crossed out.  
  
They were talking for a long while now. Both of them oblivious to the fact that their eyes were glued to the screen for more than three hours already. Hange only realized the time when she was about to press the snooze button for her 3:45 AM alarm.  
  
_shitty glasses: oh my alarm just rang. HOLY SHIT WE’VE BEEN TALKING FOR THREE HOURS???_  
  
Hange’s eyes widened, her gaze unmoving from the time shown on the screen, still astonished that someone tolerated her rambling for three straight hours. And that someone happens to be Levi. At the thought, she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from moving up while her fingers tapped the keyboard.  
  
_shitty glasses: This is longer than the art lessons._  
  
Even though there was no reply from Levi, her expression from before didn’t change. It’s still the same jolly expression she had earlier.  
  
She brought her fingers to her head then touched the handle of her glasses, removing it from her head. The glasses were placed on the bedside table where the charging cable is located. PLugging in her charger, she charged her phone then covered herself with blankets, waiting for sleep to take over.  
  
Just when she was about to fall asleep, three notification sounds reached Hange’s ears.  
Without any hesitation, she snapped her eyes open and leaned sideways to get a hold of her glasses and phone. On the screen were two messages from the clean freak, the other one was removed but it wasn’t fast enough and Hange still saw it.  
  
_papa clean freak: sleep now, you still have school tomorrow._

~~_p_ _apa clean freak: good night four eyes_.~~  
  
The last message was removed but not fast enough.  
  
_shitty glasses: I saw that._

_shitty glasses: you didn’t need to remove it…  
  
shitty glasses: wait what do you mean “You have school tomorrow”. I think what you meant is “we have school tomorrow”  
  
shitty glasses: goodnight to you too clean freak. See you later.  
  
_ That was the last message she sent before she removed her glasses, placing them on the bedside table. Her pillows and blanket were arranged to make a comfortable spot for her to sleep on. Once she discovered her comfortable spot, she looked up at the dark ceiling as she recalls the conversation she just had. While thinking, her eyes started to get heavy, and Hange who had no fight left in her just surrendered and closed her eyes shut. Finally getting some sleep after a long day. _  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And once again, the chapter is long. What is up with me and long chapters???
> 
> Anyway, still struggling in making my words flow plus the sentence structure and I really hope I'll improve soon. Of course, I am highly aware that I can't just improve overnight and I'm more than grateful that people are reading this despite my obvious flaws and other stuffs that suck. Which is probably a lot.
> 
> Oh yeah, I don't really have a schedule of updating... I do not work well with schedules... I'm a master procrastinator. Yes, sadly, even in school works.
> 
> My favorite part that I wrote here was their little text exchange. Sorry if it was a bit out of character... I REALLY WANTED TO PUT IT IN THERE. GAAAHHHH I LOVE BICKERING. Welp reading them at least... when it comes to writing mmmmmm I guess it's fine. I do enjoy writing it though. If I just don't struggle with the right words to use. Working on that.
> 
> Last and the most important thing, 
> 
> THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!! I hope you enjoyed reading this too ^-^
> 
> Take care, everyone!!!


	7. CHAPTER 7

Levi ignored the passing students as he stood still near the school gates. His hands inside his bag, searching for an umbrella. The clouds hiding the sunshine makes the next weather obvious. Thanks to the weather forecast Levi watched earlier, he was prepared and packed a rain cover for his bag. Even without the weather forecast, he always has his umbrella anyway, No need for packing.

As soon as the umbrella opened, Levi could be considered lucky.  
  
He was sheltered by the canopy of the umbrella when the raindrops started to fall. It wasn’t strong at first, and Levi took it as a sign to go straight home already while the raindrops are only hitting the umbrella and not reaching him yet. As he walked home, the sound of the rain became a comforting one that caused his walk to be peaceful. And while his walk is peaceful, his week, however, is one shitty week.  
  
There were a few days where he was absent since he was needed in another place other than school. Those days where he wasn’t in school also meant that the art lessons with Hange are temporarily stopped. He didn’t stop receiving the granola bars though. Sometimes, Erwin acts as a messenger and gives him the granola bar from Hange. And there are also times when Hange texts him an emoji of a chocolate bar.  
  
It has been one month since the beginning of their art lessons. In the span of one month, a positive change is apparent in Hange’s job. The trouble she encountered when shading disappeared, and she can now shade like an average person. _It must be because of what happened earlier_ Levi thinks as his mind recalls the incident earlier. 

**FLASHBACK**

_‘AAAAAAHHHH HOW THE HELL DO YOU DO THIS SHIT!?” Hange yelled as she placed her hands on the tips of the paper and started ripping it into tiny shreds. It was the fifth paper being ripped to shreds by Hange after her attempts at shading and she’s getting more than frustrated._

_Repeating the shading and redoing it all over again isn’t really necessary. Hange’s just unsatisfied with her job and insisted that she repeat it until it becomes perfect even without Levi’s order to do so. She’s bound to repeat it anyway even if she continues doing her job. It’s written in Levi’s watchful eyes. All she’s doing is saving herself from the trouble of being scolded by the grumpy man._ _  
_

_If this was a normal day, Hange would have observed Levi’s antics and reactions. But, this day isn’t a normal day. It’s the day of the exams and Hange is really set on improving her art grade. Time is running and she decided that she should put all her focus on her art grades first before anything else._ _  
_ _  
_ _Hange’s brows were furrowed while she shades her drawing. Because of her concentration, the place surrounding her might as well be non-existent for Hange and thus, did not hear a voice repeatedly calling her name._ _  
_

_“Oi shitty glasses'' She didn’t pay attention to the voice even if she heard it and just continued moving her pencil with a fast speed on the surface of the paper. The voice didn’t stop calling out her name and at the same time, she didn’t bother to stop her hands and respond. It was only when a sigh came out instead of a name that caused Hange to tear her eyes away from the paper and look at the origin of the voice which is Levi._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Your frustration affects the pressure you apply in your shading, it affects your grip too. I thought I told you this shit already” Levi sighed, pointing his finger at the paper in Hange’s hands._ _  
_ _  
_ _Her eyes followed Levi’s finger and they landed on her paper. By extending her arms and moving the paper further from her face, she reached the conclusion that once again, she messed up and created another shitty artwork where her eye twitched at the sight._

 _She composed herself by taking a deep breath and bringing her hand to touch her cheeks and slap them. After a few more slaps, she started over on a new sheet of paper and began drawing._ _  
_ _  
_ _But this time, she followed Levi’s advice._ _  
_

_The drawing was doing well until Hange’s mouth formed a frown, unaware that her paper was about to rip because of her increased shading speed. It wasn’t left unnoticed by Levi and he called her out to stop her from advancing. Luckily, this time Hange noticed it immediately and her hands came to a halt._ _  
_ _  
__“How tight is your grip on the shitty pencil “ Levi pinched his hands on the bridges of his nose as he demanded an answer._ _  
_

_Confusion was evident on Hange’s face, her head tilted while thinking about what Levi meant and what answer should she give him. She picked up the pencil from the ground and demonstrated her grip by drawing a wobbly line. The demonstration was useless because when she looked up to check Levi’s face for a sign of approval, there weren't any signs of approval written on his face and what she did was wrong._

_"Well, how am I supposed to show you my grip?” Hange asked but a grin appeared on her face when a thought entered her mind. She stared at Levi, then her stare focused on Levi’s hand._

_  
_ _Levi noticed the staring and raised his brow at Hange’s suspicious action. His mouth opened to say something but wasn’t able to when Hange’s hands grabbed his._ _  
_ _  
_ _“What the-” Levi started_ _  
_ _  
_ _Hange pressed Levi’s hands and explained “I’m showing you my grip". Levi was surprised but kept a blank face, more importantly, he can't believe that Hange holds a pencil like this. What kind of person holds a pencil like this?_

_The answer was clear. Of course, none other than the abnormal Hange Zoe._

_Still, with his stoic face, he ordered Hange to loosen her grip. In which she complied and did what Levi said. According to Levi, her grip wasn't loose enough and she had no choice but to loosen it again. The process continued like that until Levi finally approved on Hange's grip._

_"And this is how you should hold a pencil" Levi informed, trying to escape Hange's grasp. However, the movement of his hands in an attempt to escape only caused Hange to tighten her grip more. Now Levi's hands were trapped, his face in a menacing look while telling Hange to let go of his hand._

_Obviously, it didn't faze Hange - but she did release her left hand to free one of Levi's hands. The other hand wasn't able to escape because Hange's other hand is still holding it._

_Her left hand picked up the pencil, moved it closer to the surface of the paper to continue her shading from earlier. "How the hell are you going to shade with your left hand when you can't even shade properly with your right hand" Levi stated, observing how messy Hange's work is turning out.  
_

_The pencil didn't touch the paper when Hange turned to Levi and answered "The moment I let go of your hands, I won't be able to touch it again because for sure you won't let me"_

_"What does my hand have to do with this" Levi complained, muttering it under his breath but audible enough for Hange to hear._

_Hange's face still looking at her paper, she answered "You asked me for my grip earlier didn't you"  
  
Levi blinked and replied with only silence, unsure what Hange meant with her statement. What does she mean by “shading”?, It can barely be called shading anymore. She’s just scribbling at this point.  
  
“Let go of my hands four-eyes,” Levi said but not making any effort to escape Hange’s grasp. He didn’t need to make any effort because minutes after, his hands were free.  
  
In exchange for Hange resuming her shading...with a frown and sighing every chance she gets.  
  
A few minutes passed and Hange’s frown remained on her face. And her drawing was all over the place. _

_“Fine but make sure you’d do your shading right” Levi hesitated and motioned his hands closer to Hange, touching the cloth on the ground. He leaned against the tree, closing his eyes while his hand was out in the open, left unguarded. The placing of his hand is suitable for Hange to come into contact with it anytime she wants. But still, even with his hand out in the open, he seriously hoped that Hange won’t find the need to touch his hand for whatever reason she has.  
  
He was proven wrong later when a warmth surrounded his hand. Opening his one eye, he saw that the origin of the warmth is from Hange’s hand laying on top of his.  
  
“Oi” Levi accidentally blurted out.  
  
Hange didn’t take her eyes away from the sketchbook before her when she responded “ It’s just my hand, it’s not gonna kill anyone”  
  
“It’s filthy” Levi escaped Hange’s grasp. Hange looked at Levi with a frown on her face and stopped her sketching. A stare back was what she got in return, Levi daring her to try and touch his hand again. Which she did.  
  
In a sneaky way, Hange moved closer to Levi to capture his hands. It might not look like Levi noticed, but he did and was successful at dodging Hange’s touch by changing his hand’s position before she can get a hold of it. _

_She tried numerous times to capture his hand but Levi always saw it coming and evaded it in time. In the end, Hange had no choice but to stick her palm out, giving a glance at the bag beside Levi._ _  
_ _  
_ _Levi was surprised at his realization of what Hange’s asking for. He placed his fingers on the zipper of the bag Hange’s glancing at and opened it to take out a bottle of hand spray. The sanitizer in his hands, he looked at Hange for a second and then tossed it in her direction. Which Hange was able to catch._ _  
_ _  
_ _“Just so you know” Hange sprayed her hands with the hand spray and continued “ I’m doing this because I want to study your hands” she rubbed her hands until it became clean. Her now clean hands hold the hand spray as she tries to aim by moving her back slightly backward, eyes squinting at the open bag to throw the hand spray in her hand._

 _  
_ _A victorious look was present on Hange’s face when the hand spray she threw, landed on the open bag.  
  
“I’m not a fucking test subject four eyes” Levi retorted, struggling to zip up his bag with stuck zipper moving slow and rough. _

_Hange smiled. “Everything can be an experiment and everything can be a test subject”. She did another attempt at capturing Levi's hands, and as always, it failed._ _  
_ _  
_ _“You were fine with it just a while agoooo” Hange whined, her arms crossed. “Who knows, maybe holding your hand will improve my shading” Hange suggested._ _  
_ _  
_ _“There’s no way you can be sure about that” Levi replied. He ignored the nagging thought that maybe Hange just wanted to hold his hands for no reason at all. Because that thought is impossible._ _  
_ _  
_ _Hange looked at Levi’s face and smiled at him. “That’s why I’m experimenting”. It was unmistakable for the two of them what action would be done shortly._ _  
_ _  
_ _“This better have results shitty glasses” Levi sighed as he lays his hands on top of Hange’s, the sudden touch catching the brunette off guard. Hange’s hands weren’t soft or rough, they’re just ordinary. But still, Levi started at both of their hands longer than he’d like to admit. When Hange adjusted her body to lean against the tree branch, that’s when Levi only realized he was staring and abruptly moved his face away to stop staring._ _  
_ _  
_ _“ I wouldn’t do an experiment if I knew there were no results” Hange stopped her sketching for a second and then gave a mischievous look to Levi. “ Of course, the results aren’t always positive though” With that, Levi glared at Hange, but Hange wasn’t affected by it._ _  
_ _  
_ _After all, the warmth surrounding her hands remained._

 _The experiment was a success. Every time Hange starts to lose her temper, all Levi had to do was pat her hand, effectively calming her down. Thanks to her calm state, she was fortunate and achieved the results both she and Levi expected. Hange was especially surprised at her work because once again she did something properly. Levi was just glad she can finally progress and move on from shading. It will lessen the workload_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Seeeee I told you experimenting would work” Hange grinned. She tried to not acknowledge the fact that her hands are still underneath Levis. But she didn’t last long not acknowledging it and ended up opening her mouth. “Soooooooooo aren’t you gonna?” Hange looked at both of their hands and closed her mouth, allowing a smile to grace over her lips. “You know what, nevermind”_

_FLASHBACK END_

While thinking on his way home, he only just realized that even after their art class, his hand was still touching Hange’s. Levi shrugged it off, it was for the sake of their art session and he fell asleep that’s why. He didn’t notice that it was raining when he desperately tried to neglect the thought that if all it took was him holding Hange’s hands for her to do some proper shading.  
  
_He wished he’d done it sooner._

Under all that pouring rain, inside the umbrella, his tracks stopped at the thought. What was he thinking? Why did his mind even conjure that possibility? Why the hell would he wish to hold her filthy hands. As he was concentrated in his denial, someone behind him held the canopy of the umbrella yet he wasn’t able to notice. The stranger lifted the umbrella, allowing them to shield themselves from the rain _.  
  
“Keep walking,” _ The person said. Their hands were placed on the handle, making contact with Levi’s hand accidentally. _  
  
_ Levi snapped out of his thoughts and finally noticed the presence behind him. It was no stranger, It was Hange. _“Oi, what are you doing shitty glasses”_ Levi scolded. His elbow is getting wet because of the uneven portion he has of the umbrella. _  
  
“I’m sharing your umbrella” _ Hange stated, her hands moving up the handle, trying to lift the umbrella to make it suitable for her height. Much to her dismay, Levi’s grip on the handle was tight and it didn’t let Hange do what she pleases. _  
  
“I should hold the umbrella, I’m taller than you after all” _ Hange grinned, but is still not able to rid the tight grip Levi had on the umbrella handle. _  
  
“I don’t remember giving you permission to enter my umbrella” _ L evi’s hold around the handle tightened, canceling all Hange’s attempt at being in charge of the umbrella. It’s his umbrella so he should be the one to hold it. But for some reason, Hange just wouldn’t let him. _  
  
“I permit myself,” _Hange said, moving closer to Levi to give him her portion of the umbrella. She had noticed Levi’s shoulders getting soaked because that part wasn’t covered by the umbrella. Well, it was, but when Hange arrived, He was forced to share the shield from the rain.

Moving the umbrella closer to Levi, caused her shoulders to be wet. It wasn't really such a big deal since it’s just her shoulders. She was frustrated though. Not because of her damp shoulders, but because of Levi’s reluctance to be covered by the umbrella. He should be thankful that Hange’s covering his shoulders even if he’s the owner of the umbrella. But noooo, every time the umbrella gets closer to him, he purposefully gets himself wet by the rain by moving away from Hange.  
  
Frustration was what Hange started to feel. But, along with that frustration, is her will to never give up on something she decided to do. Even if something she decided to do was as simple as covering Levi with his umbrella. In the end, her perseverance won, and was triumphant at using the umbrella to cover Levi. Now he’s fully sheltered and not a droplet of water is hitting him. 

The same can’t be said for Hange.

While Levi is standing on the shelter of the umbrella, being protected from the rain. Hange is not. With her hands extended, she only realized that there’s no umbrella on her side anymore when her glasses started to get foggy and her clothes were getting more soaked. Shoving the umbrella to Levi, she quickly surrounded her arms around her bag, embracing it to shield it from the rain. Her efforts were in vain because all this time, the zipper of the bag was open. Everything inside her bag should be wet by now.

Levi watched as Hange scavenged through her bag, removing a bunch of empty granola bar wrappers, wet notebooks, and crumpled papers that started to get soak as it absorbed the falling rain. The falling notebooks were the last objects on the main pocket of the bag so she moved her hands to the pockets. Her hands stopped when it entered the pocket, letting out a sigh of relief as she pulled out a phone from the pockets of her bag.  
  
It was drenched in rainwater but Hange doesn’t care because when she pushed the power button on the side of her phone, its power turned on. Once the power turned on, she didn’t waste a minute and hid it in her chest so that she could at least protect it from the rain. Most of the necessary files are located in her phone and laptop. Unfortunately, her laptop is broken and her only backup is her phone. That is the main reason why she has to do everything she could to keep more water from entering her phone.  
  
Speaking of water, Hange wondered why she isn’t getting wet anymore. It’s certainly still raining as heard by the dripping and splashes of water, so why isn't she getting wet?. Hange planned to observe the clouds for more signs of rain. But when she looked up, instead of gray clouds and water falling flat on her face, she was met with a black thing sheltering her from the rain. From the corner of her eyes, she can see Levi beside her with his extended arms holding out something while his face is turned away from Hange. She only just realized that the thing protecting her from the rain is being held by Levi right now.  
_  
_ It was Levi’s umbrella.  
  
“ _Oi shitty glasses, do you want my umbrella or not?_ ” Levi moved the umbrella closer to Hange, encouraging her to take it from his hands. “ _I’m not gonna stay here for long_ ”  
  
Hange blinked, her eyes scanning and studying Levi’s body standing outside the umbrella. His hair was down because of the water and his clothes were more soaked than earlier. The raindrops are present on his bag, but luckily there was a rain cover to prevent the water from getting his things wet. Unconsciously, her hands took the handle of the umbrella and accidentally brushed against Levi’s hand. 

When Hange gripped the handle, Levi let go of the umbrella and without a word, turned away and walked under the pouring rain. Leaving Hange dumbfounded by the action.  
  
Levi continued being soaked as he walked in the rain, no umbrella or any kind of shelter shielding him from the falling droplets and water splashes. He had thought of running to avoid getting more drenched in water than he already is, but it would do more harm than good. Slippery and muddy roads are brought by the rain so if he runs through those, there’s a high chance that he might slip and lose his balance. He really doesn’t need more accidents already.

Just like the rain, his walking was stopped when he no longer felt the sensation of water hitting his body. The rain is actually still there, it just stopped reaching him for some reason. He moved his head upwards and there he found the reason why. What he saw was the familiar canopy of a certain umbrella. To be exact, it was his umbrella that he gave to Hange just a few minutes ago.  
  
“ _There’s a thing called waiting, you should try that sometime_ '' Levi turned around at the source of the voice and was met with Hange with her hands holding out the umbrella to shield Levi from the rain. Hange moved beside Levi to also take shelter from the rain but he ignored it by planning to move away from Hange and the protection of the umbrella.  
  
“ _Not this time clean freak_ ” Hange grabbed Levi’s sleeve to prevent him from escaping. It didn’t work though, Levi easily removed Hange’s hand when he walked away. “ _I’m going home_ ” Levi muttered and started to walk away.  
  
“ _Let’s go home together_ ,” Hange said and caused Levi to not take another step. She caught up to Levi and moved the umbrella closer to him. There was still no response so she took it as a sign to continue her earlier statement “ _Or if not, you can take your umbrella and go home while I go run these slippery roads and possibly slip, lose my balance and get into an accident all because I don’t have an umbrella_ ”

Hearing that, Levi hesitantly agreed and allowed himself to enter the protection of the umbrella. Hange’s statement actually makes sense and he doesn’t want to be the cause for any accidents so he just agreed.  
  
While under the umbrella, Levi ignored their touching shoulders every time they took a step. He can’t ignore the eyes that glance at him and the strange silence around them so he was the one who said something. “ _I can’t believe I’m being blackmailed to walk with you_ ” Levi muttered under his breath.  
  
“ _It’s not blackmailing, I was simply stating the possible truth_ ,” Hange said as her face focused on the ground to avoid the muddy puddles to not splash Levi.

Thanks to Levi’s attempt to break the silence, a conversation started. Hange is mostly the one who talks during their walk with Levi just staying silent or gives short answers. Either way, Hange doesn’t mind. She brought up the phone conversation they had and teased Levi in the process. The teasing only stopped when they arrived at the crossroads where they are supposed to go their separate ways.

Hange wrapped her hands around her bag and let go of her grip on the handle. Now, the only hand touching the handle of the umbrella is Levi. Hange gave Levi a smile before exiting the umbrella and intentionally getting wet by the rain. 

“ _Oi_ ” Levi blurted out without thinking. He only just realized that he called Hange when she looked back at him curiously and entered the shelter of the umbrella again. “ _Where are you going shitty glasses, it’s still raining_ ” He continued.  
  
Before speaking up, Hange stared at Levi. “ _I’m going home, my house is right this way_ ” she answered unsurely as she arranged her hand, which was on the bag so that her finger pointed in the opposite direction.  
  
Nothing came when Hange waited for a response so she placed her foot outside the umbrella to start walking. But as she was about to fully exit the umbrella, a thought came into her mind that caused a grin to be planted on her face. ‘ _Unless you’re implying to you’re going to take me home_ ”  
  
Levi rolled his eyes at the statement. “ _Tch, make sure you return the umbrella four eyes_ ,” he said as he extended his arms holding the umbrella and slowly got wet by the water without the umbrella on his side anymore.  
  
Hange’s eyes twinkled, her grin getting wider. “ _I’ll take you there instead, it will be like an unplanned visit to my house_ ”  
  
Complaints were what Hange’s about to receive and she knows it. So before Levi can even open his mouth, she took action and grabbed Levi by the sleeve. Not giving him any time to decline the offer and not allowing him to walk further. Hange lifted the umbrella up, signaling Levi to enter the protection of the umbrella. Which he did because with his sleeve being held on, he has no choice but to comply.

It only took a few more steps before they arrived at the location. In front of them was Hange’s house. It was a two-story house with a terrace visible from where they stood. There was a purple metal gate that Hange pushed open. Levi only watched as Hange entered through the gate.

“ _Don’t be shy, come in_ ” Hange invited, her hands holding the gate open for Levi to go through. He only turned his back at the offer and started walking away. He didn’t get a chance to vanish from Hange’s view as he stopped when kids running around the place with raincoats and boots accidentally splashed mud on him. To make matters worse, not only is the rain still pouring it is now also accompanied by wind.  
  
“ _Sooooooo are you sure you’re not gonna come over_?” Hange asked, a chuckle escaping her mouth while her hands are still placed on the gate. She added something to get Levi’s attention “ _There are spare clothes inside, you can change your muddy ones there_ ” It got his attention but Levi still has his back turned against her, Hange rolled her eyes at this. “ _Fine there’s also tea inside, I’ll brew you one_ ”   
The word tea seems to be the word that caught his attention as shown by Levi’s body that is now walking towards Hange’s gate. “ _That better be not shitty tea_ ,” Levi said and entered through the gate, closing his umbrella as he did so.  
  
“ _Well, no promises_ ” Hange grinned, locking the gate behind her. Levi let out a grumble at her statement which Hange only replied with a chuckle as she followed after Levi.  
  
Two of them were standing on the door. Levi has his back leaned against the wall while Hange is crouching down, lifting a flowerpot to reveal a silver key. “ _Aha, there it is_ ” Hange returned the flowerpot in its place and inserted the key to unlock the door - that opened with a clicking sound.  
  
“ _Wait here_ ” Hange ordered, her hands turning the doorknob and pushing the door open, entering the darkness of the house. Levi stayed on his spot, doing what Hange told him to. There’s no change in his position from earlier, back still leaned against the wall. From inside the house, a yell invited him to enter after three minutes of waiting.  
  
Finally, Levi moved from his spot and entered the house, closing the door shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! I'm really sorry for the very very late update.. Some things just came up and writer's block aaaaahhh it sucks so much. My writer's block is really obvious as shown by the flow of this fic...It doesn't flow. I'm still working on that one.
> 
> There's not a lot of things that happened in this chapter.. or at least anything major. I'll try to make it up in the next chapter. As you can see by the content of this chapter, I love Levihan holding hands. I love it so much that i made up some kind of tactic to get better at art(it doesn't work trust me)
> 
> anywayyyysssss, despite all the flaws of this fic...
> 
> I'm really grateful for the people who read this. I really appreciate it... I'm gonna try my best to improve!!
> 
> Thank you so much please take care and stay safe, have a happy new year too!!<3


	8. CHAPTER 8

Levi and Hange were sitting side by side on the couch, sounds from the television filling the room to cover the silence. Along with the television sounds, is a voice from a phone call that Levi is currently having. He only replies with short words in contrast to the other end that has a cheerful voice and speaks a lot. Despite how much they speak though, the phone call was short and ended abruptly.  
  
“ _So, your sister?_ ” Hange asked, her hands pressing the buttons on the remote to increase the volume of the television. “ _Or a girlfriend?”_ she added.  
  
“ _I don’t have a girlfriend shitty glasses,”_ Levi said, his attention on the phone before him. From the silence of the girl beside him, he can tell that he is about to be bombarded with questions. To escape from the approaching questions, he broke the silence before Hange had the chance. “ _The tea should only be brewed for 5 minutes or else it will end up tasting shitty”_  
  
His attempt at avoiding the questions was successful as shown by Hange tucking the remote on the side of the couch instead of asking him questions. Although the action did cause a “ _tch”_ from Levi. _“What?? it’s easier to find the remote that way_ ” Hange stood up and went to the kitchen, leaving Levi with the playing television.  
  


A few minutes later, Hange arrived with a tray in hand. On the tray, there are two teacups filled with tea, and close to those teacups are biscuits. _“Here you go”_ Hange placed the tray on the table and relaxed on the couch, next to Levi.  
  
“ _What do you think?”_ Hange moved closer to Levi as she watched him lift the cup to his lips. It took a few minutes of silence and tasting before Levi could answer. Although Hange didn’t mind, it meant that she can observe Levi’s weird way of holding the teacup longer. _  
_ _  
_ _“It’s bitter, you steeped it for too long”_ Levi criticized, returning his almost empty teacup to the tray in front of him. While the tea was bitter, it’s still tea and Levi won’t let the tea go to waste. Knowing the brunette, she’ll throw it away and try to make a better one just for her own satisfaction.  
  
“ _Oh! I see I’ll just do bett-_ '' Before Hange can finish her statement, Levi interrupted her.  
  
 _“It’s bitter, but it’s not bad”_ He sipped on his tea again. This time, the cup was really returned empty on the tray unlike before. _“There’s no need to make me another one”_ _  
_ _  
_Hange blinked at Levi as if she was studying him. “ _You should work as a tea critic or something”_ she muttered, making herself comfortable on the couch, her hands making their way to the sides of the couch to get the remote she tucked in earlier. _“What do you want to watch?”_

 _“I’ll leave now”_ Levi sighed and stood up from the couch. But before he could take a single step, his wrists were grabbed by Hange. Her grip wasn’t that strong and tight. If Levi tried, he could have escaped her grip already but for some reason, he wasn’t even trying to escape. Complaining in his mind, that he does. Although there’s no kind of action being done to escape from her grasp.  
  
 _“Nope, you’re not going anywhere”_ she pulled Levi's wrist down causing him to fall down. Luckily, there was a couch that caught his fall, or else he'd hit the floor. And that would hurt. Using her finger, she pointed at the direction where soaked clothes are being held to dry. _"It's still raining, your clothes are still wet and your umbrella is not in the best condition,"_ she pointed out.

In fact, the clothes being held to dry over there actually belong to Levi. It got wet in the rain and Hange suggested that he takes it off to dry while waiting for the rain to subside. What he’s wearing at this moment is a loose gray t-shirt paired with blue jogging pants. The shirt isn’t really loose but because of Hange and Levi’s differences when it comes to their physique, it resulted in being too loose for Levi even though it fits perfectly for Hange. Loose or not, Hange won’t deny the fact that he looks cute in her shirt. _  
  
_

“ _Are you really not going to watch something?”_ Hange raised her brow and looked at Levi’s way who had his eyes glued to his phone. Leaning closer to Levi, she took a peek at Levi’s phone for one second. Her intention was not to peek at Levi’s phone but rather, her intention was to swipe his phone out of his grasp. Which she successfully did.  
  
Pretending to stretch, she extended her arms and casually moved it down to Levi’s shoulders to reach the phone in his hand. Once it’s close enough, Hange wasted no time and yanked it out of his grasp. _“Your eyes are always on your phone”_ She chided, raising her hands holding the phone higher so Levi would have a hard time reaching it unless he stood up or motioned closer to Hange. “ _You should know how to have a little fun, it’s always either arts or phone”_

 _  
“You’re always on your phone too”_ L evi stated, remaining still in his seat with no signs of movement to get his phone back. It has a passcode anyway and if Hange wants to unlock it, she won’t be able to. Plus, it doesn’t look like Hange has plans of unlocking his phone as shown by her gesture of placing both of their phones on top of the table. _  
  
_After that, she replied to Levi’s earlier statement. _“I’m always on my phone for the purpose of research”  
  
“Wow, when is research ever fun” _ L evi answered in a monotone voice as Hange turned the tv off. Now that there’s no source of noise from the tv, silence visited them. _  
_

The silence was broken by Hange clapping her hands together at the same time the thunder from outside roared. “ _Ok, now that it’s settled, what shall we do?_ ” she turned her head to Levi’s direction only to be met with his face covered by a magazine. At the sight of the boy in front of her, she can only facepalm in a disappointed manner. “ _Seriously? You’re sleeping_ ” 

Once again, she moved closer to Levi in an attempt to remove the magazine on his face. Just as she was about to lift the magazine, her wrist was caught by the supposedly sleeping Levi. _“Let me sleep shitty glasses”_ He said while still holding Hange’s wrist and his face covered by the darkness of the magazine.

 _“You aren’t sleeping”_ Hange replied, making use of her one free hand to take away Levi’s hold on her wrist. “ _It’s obvious you aren’t sleeping”_ she continued struggling in removing Levi’s hand but it only tightened at the added effort. A sigh escaped her lips,” _I won’t bother you if you let my wrist go, I need to write something”_  
  
That statement of Hange’s was suspicious when Levi heard it. Nevertheless, he was convinced to release his grasp from Hange because his hands were starting to get tired. Surprisingly, Hange stayed true to her word and did not bother Levi at all.  
  


* * *

Even with the magazine on top of his face, he can sense that Hange wasn’t by his side anymore, as heard by the sounds of footsteps getting distant and fainter. Without Hange, he was left with a calm and quiet room which he enjoyed as he stared at the darkness of the magazine. It remained like that until a rattling noise appeared.  
  
“ _And there we go,”_ Hange said while setting down something on the table. Levi would have chosen to ignore it if it wasn’t for the screeching sounds and Hange’s comforting voice. “ _Ssssh, ssshhh easy now, easy now”_ she whispered, trying to open something metallic from what Levi can make out based on the clacking sounds produced. 

As if the metallic clanking sounds weren't enough to irritate Levi, the screeching only became louder. “ _Oi,”_ Levi called but failed to get Hange’s attention.  
  
“ _They are not usually this giddy and energetic. It must be because of their reaction towards a new face”_ she got a pen and started writing on her palm. _“Hmmmmmm, interesting”_

All her attention is split between observing the source of the screeching noise or writing down her observations. Since she was way too concentrated on her observations, she didn’t notice Levi calling out to her and the fact that the magazine is now out of Levi’s face,

 _“What the fuck is that”_ Levi’s eyes widened in disgust at what he’s seeing. The metal sounds from earlier are because of the metal cage where two lizards are located inside. _It must be the source of the fucking sounds earlier, Levi thought._

Only when Levi moved his feet aside did Hange acknowledge his presence and tore her gaze away from her palm full of handwritings. _“I believe I haven't introduced you to them yet”_ _  
__  
_Carefully, she lifted the cage and put it down on the couch where Levi is sitting. With a clicking sound, Hange unlocked the cage and put her hand out.  
  
“ _Come, come, no need to be shy Sawney and Bean”_

Seconds passed, and one lizard exited the cage and went to Hange’s palm. _“Good job Sawney”_ she gushed and turned to Levi as a wide grin appeared on her face.

 _“Tada!!, Levi, this is Sawney”_ she introduced to Levi, her current grin getting wider at spotting Levi’s expression. _“And Sawney, this is Levi”_

No reaction from the lizard except letting its tongue out. The action caused two different reactions from two different people. Cringing in disgust was Levi while Hange let out an excited gasp at the lizard’s reaction and also chuckled at Levi’s reaction that earned her a glare.  
  
 _“That’s a new reaction, I think it likes you_ ” One of her hands that isn’t holding the lizard scavenged the floor for her pen.  
  
“ _I don’t like it”_ Levi was about to go close his eyes again but before he was able to, his hand was suddenly grabbed and forcefully opened by Hange.

Ignoring Levi’s tense reaction, she transferred Sawney from her palm to his palm that she forcefully opened. _“Can you look after Sawney for a little while?”  
_

Unbelievable. He cannot believe that a lizard, a piece of filthy creature is laying on his palm right now. It’s more unbelievable that he allowed Hange to even place it there. Well, to be exact, there was no time for him to react because the next thing he knew the lizard was on his palm, sleeping soundly. Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. And what’s worse is that it would remain in palm for as long as Hange continues writing down shit. She’s way too absorbed in whatever she’s doing that nothing can get her attention _.  
  
B _ ut even with her full attention on the cage in front of her, she was still able to break the silence looming around them by starting up a topic. _“You still haven’t told me why you agreed to teach me arts”_

 _“I don’t need to tell you the reason”_ Levi retorted, still with the sleeping lizard on his palm.  
  
 _“Yup, you don’t have to but….”_ Hange trailed for a second, squinting her eyes in order to watch the caged creature in front of her.  
  
Writing down her observations, she continued speaking. “ _I’m curious”_

No reply. Well, that’s to be expected. Levi isn’t a fan of talking and chooses to stay silent most of the time. That much Hange knows so she doesn’t mind the silence at all. However., that doesn't mean she’ll stop breaking the silence. While she was occupied with the cage, a question escaped her mouth.  
  
 _“Did you receive the payment?”_ Hange asked, her attention staying on the cage.

  
At that question of hers, Levi raised a brow. “ _Payment?”_ _  
__  
_“ _You know, the one Erwin gave you earlier?”_ she replied, not taking her eyes away from the caged creature in front of her. Earlier at school, she gave a bag of money to Erwin to give to Levi for the payment. It was unsure whether Levi received it or not so she asked him directly to check if he received it.

 _“I thought that was for…”_ Levi blurted but soon shut his mouth at the realization that he accidentally said it out loud. That sudden hesitation of his was noticed by Hange who stopped her writing.  
  
Out of all times that Hange broke her gaze at the thing she’s observing, it just had to be now. _“Soooooo, it’s for_ ” She faced Levi, her head tilted as she waits for him to continue his earlier statement.  
  
 _“Mind your own business four-eyes”_ he hissed, trying to be intimidating.

Trying was all he could do because Hange didn’t find it intimidating one bit. It didn't help that while he was menacingly talking, a lizard was sleeping soundly on his spread out palm. Instead of looking intimidating, In Hange’s eyes, it was completely adorable and a rare view. _You don’t see Levi Ackerman holding a sleeping lizard on his palm every day._ She thought to herself.  
  
Hange didn’t even bother to hide the fact that she was staring and grinning widely at Levi. The silence and Hange’s blinking eyes makes it uncomfortable for Levi that he was the one who brought up a topic. Anything to break the silence. “ _I don’t need your money, shitty glasses”_

 _“Reallyyyyyy, are you sure about that?”_ Hange analyzed, her hands placed under her chin.  
  
“ _Yes I don’t need it, now leave me alone”_ he used his unoccupied hand to pick up the magazine from the couch while his other hand has the sleeping lizard.

Just as he was about to cover his face with the magazine, something Hange said caught him off-guard. “ _I knew it. You forgot about the condition one month ago. Does that mean you’re really just helping me with my art problems in your own genuine way and not chasing over the payment?”_ Hange asked, but at this point, she already made it to her conclusion.  
  
“ _Shut up”_ he snickered. There’s no way he would admit that he may or may not have forgotten about the condition. Deciding to no longer pay it any mind, he concealed his face with the magazine. Under the magazine, his eyes were closed but soon opened when a sudden warmth surrounded his palm.  
  
 _“I’m getting Sawney so you can sleep comfortably”_ Hange removed her hands from Levi’s palm and when she did, the lizard was no longer in Levi’s palm and he can finally close it after minutes of having it spread out.  
  
Petting Sawney’s head, Hange spoke. “ _You should have told me if you were tired of holding Sawney already”_

  
And there was no reply.  
  


* * *

Both of them were minding their own businesses and no words were exchanged. The lack of words brought a comfortable sense of quiet circling around the room. For Hange, it was comfortable and helped her focus on her task. However, that isn’t the case for Levi.  
  
All the silence did on Levi’s part was plague his mind with thoughts he really shouldn’t be thinking of right now. Having enough of his thoughts, he decided to distract himself by asking a question to Hange. If it’s a question, Hange would be sure to answer.  
  
At the very least, it would take his mind away from his current thoughts.  
  
 _“Are you going to take the payment back?”_ Levi questioned

His face was under the magazine making Levi’s voice seem hushful, soft, and barely audible. Nevertheless, Hange understood. “ _Hm, what do you mean?”_ she looked up at Levi, pen remaining on her palm.  
  
Not expecting an answer, Hange returned to writing but has no aim to keep silent. Just as she was about to create noise by blabbering about something scientific that only she’s interested in, Levi gave a reply.  
  
Although it wasn’t an answer to Hange’s question.

Using his one hand, he lifted the magazine from his face to take a peek. He was supposed to answer Hange’s question but when he was met with Hange’s messy handwriting on her palm out of all things, his mind changed, and decided to comment on that instead. _“Four eyes, is your eyesight that shitty that you can’t tell the difference between paper and your hand”_ _  
__  
__“It’s such a hassle to get paper. It’s in my roooommm”_ Hange whined, her face facing down as she writes something.

She continued, “ _And, my hand is just as good as the paper anyway. I’ll just transfer it later”_ _  
__  
__“Just as good as sandpaper,”_ Levi corrected.  
  
He had meant that as an insult saying that Hange’s hands were rough. But of course, Hange being Hange, didn’t take it that way. Though she knows Levi’s insulting her, she wasn't offended at the very least as shown by the smirk planted in her face.” _If you say so. You held my hands a lot of times already after all. I’m not surprised that you know what texture my hand has”_ she shrugged, mischief hiding in her eyes.  
  
Yup. Levi Ackerman dug his own grave. He was sure that the endless teasing from the brunette will be the only thing that she’s gonna be spouting. Turns out, he’s wrong.  
  
Hange didn’t tease him and returned the conversation to the topic earlier. “ _Why would I take back what I paid, you deserved it”_ she led Sawney back to its cage, stood up from the floor, and sat beside Levi on the couch.  
  
 _“It’s because…..”_ Levi hesitated whether to continue his statement or not. In the end, he settled with keeping it to himself instead of resuming the topic further. _“Nevermind”_ he dismissed.  
  
There’s no way Hange will let him stop feeding her with answers to her curiosity. It might be assertive, but once she’s curious, she’s bound to get the information she needs.  
  
Maybe not now, but she’s certain she’ll learn it soon.

_“I knew it, you are a nice person”_ she set herself cozily on the couch, stretching her arms, and then sent Levi a smile. “ _I mean it”_

Unsure how to react, Levi just diverted his eyes from her gaze. _” I’m not nice”_ he muttered under his breath.  
  
 _“Well if you say so, but I still think you are nice”_ Hange has her pointer finger pointing up as she states an explanation. _“You want me to take the money back when the reason why you agreed to teach me in the first place was because of money. I’m flattered that you want me to take the money now that you see me as a friend but....”_ her sentence stopped midway, letting her hand fall so that no finger is pointing up. _”You need the money, don’t you?”_

Her earlier easy-going energy was replaced with a more serious one. Even behind her thick glasses, Levi can spot the sincere concern in her eyes.  
  
Levi was left dumbfounded. His expression didn’t change but he was shocked at how much Hange knew. Who could have told her? Is this whole concern of hers just her pitying him?

 _“I wasn’t aware that you knew the word personal space”_  
  
At the moment the words were said, it might not look like it because of his neutral facial expression, but Levi is internally cursing himself. How much does he suck at words that he can’t even mutter a single thanks.  
  
Now it just sounds ill-mannered and ungrateful. _Great._

Levi thought that there would be some awkward tension arriving but he thought wrong. Instead of awkward silence, Hange’s light-hearted laughter filled the air. _“Of course I know the word personal space, How can I not? I’m going to some prestigious school somewhere”_ _  
__  
__“I’m just ignoring it”_

she moved closer to Levi, their legs touching as they sat side by side and whispered. “ _The word “personal space”, I mean”_ _  
_ _  
_Before Levi can process what Hange meant, he felt something make contact with his shoulders and there she was, sitting beside him with a goofy beam on her face. When she shifted her face, she was face-to-face with Levi who was watching her.  
  
It was just them staring, not breaking eye contact with each other until Hange’s eyes widened.  
  
 _“I KNEW I WAS FORGETTING SOMETHING”_ she yelled, taking off her glasses to place them on the table and then rushing to her room. Even with the distance of her room to the living room, the sound of the door Hange slammed was still heard.

The slamming was really loud and Levi could only think that Hange locked herself because she was doing something important so he should now leave to not bother her. He left the couch and walked to the door. Just as he was about to turn the doorknob, something called after him and he was forced to stop the action.  
  
 _“Levi, Leviiiii, don’t go yet it’s still raining”_ Hange shouted from upstairs as she hurriedly steps down the stairs.  
  
Because of her rush to reach Levi, she wasn’t able to notice the next step of the stairs, causing her to lose her balance and fall only to be caught by the floor.

It happened so fast that Levi didn’t even have the chance to remove his hand from the doorknob and was left standing in his spot when Hange fell down the stairs. The moment that Hange drops on the floor, Levi wasted no time and immediately rushed to Hange’s side.  
  
 _“Oi, Hange”_ he said while crouching down, slowly moving his hand to check Hange’s face covered by her brown hair. Carefully, he gently tucks Hange’s hair behind her ear. Only to reveal….  
  
Hange’s face looking up with open eyes, her mouth curled up into a smile while she gazed at Levi.  
  
At the sight, Levi swiftly retreated his hand that’s currently placed near Hange’s ear. _“What the fuck four eyes. if you were conscious you should have at least said a word or something”_ _  
__  
__“Sorry, Sorry were you worried?”_ she smiled at Levi and sat up straight.  
  
 _“Don’t worry, I’m used to it”_ she added and pointed to her eyes. “ _I removed my glasses earlier so there’s not much damage”_

 _"I don’t know if that’s smart or stupid”_ Levi offered a hand, helping Hange to stand up from her spot. 

She let out a yelp of pain, that Levi noticed. “ _It’s stupid, you’re still hurt”_ he asserted.  
  
The words Levi released from his mouth didn’t offend Hange but she used his words as a challenge instead. Her goal is to make it clear that she is not feeling any pain to show that she is not stupid even though she just fell down the stairs and is completely aware of the stinging sensation she’s feeling around her foot.  
  
Maybe it’s stupid but she doesn’t have to be rational when taking a challenge. That’s what makes a challenge fun. “ _Ok clean freak, I’m accepting your challenge”_ she stood up straight and began to walk normally.

“ _Cha-? What Challenge? I’m not challenging you shitty glasses”_ he followed after Hange who is walking her way to the couch. _“Oi you just fell from the stairs. Don’t move around”_ he scolded.  
  
Scolding proved useless, Hange didn’t stop her tracks at all. Even if her walking is obviously just limping at this point. 

_“Sheesh, don’t make such a big deal about this. It’s just three steps I fell from. Not a big deal”_ Hange rolled her eyes and continued walking,

Soon after, she reached the couch and let herself fall causing a faint flinch of pain. Yup. That was definitely stupid but Hange couldn’t care less.  
  
After all, she completed the challenge.

There was a satisfied look on her face when she turned to smile victoriously at Levi. Opposite to her expression was Levi’s unchanging look staring back at her. If Levi was going to be honest, he would probably complement Hange for her efforts but the thought that entered his mind reminded him about the stupid thing Hange did and does not deserve any compliments.

 _“Tch, I’m going home”_ Levi walked to the door and was about to touch the doorknob but Hange’s voice stopped him…. again.

 _“Wait, Levi, it’s still raining and you can at least give me a reward for completing the challenge”_ she patted the chair, inviting him to come over. “ _Your clothes are nowhere near dry, the umbrella isn’t in such a good condition either”_

Seeing that Hange had a point, he was left with no choice and joined Hange on the couch, complaining while he’s at it. _“So, what do you want?”_ he sighed, irritated at what he’s doing.

 _“Ah, I left the album on the stairs, let me just go get it”_ she answered, not really answering Levi’s question.  
  
Before Hange can stand up, Levi was already on the stairs, crouching down to pick up the fallen album Hange was referring to “ _This one right?”_ Levi grumbles and tossed the album in her direction. Not caring if Hange catches it or not.  
  
Luckily, Even with Hange staying on the couch, her hands were able to extend far enough to catch the album. _“Alright, thanks,”_ she said and then opened the album, a smile blooming on her face at the sight that greeted her. “ _Come on Levi, it’s time for storytime”_  
  
 _“Let’s just get this over with”_ he groaned but sat beside Hange anyway, taking a peek at one page of the album.

On that page were two pictures. One picture was of a kid Hange holding two lizards which Levi recognized as Sawney and Bean. Below that photo is another with a young Hange beaming, holding a trophy. _“My glasses looked too big on me back then, I remember when it kept falling”_ fondness was evident in her voice as she turned to the next page.  
  
From photos of winning competitions, birthday parties, graduations, and more random moments. Hange gave life to the pictures by telling the story behind it, using her jolly voice, telling each moment with nostalgia and fondness at the memory. Sometimes, Hange exaggerates a bit and changes her facial expressions and tone to match the moment.

The way she speaks is so enthusiastic that even Levi gets captivated by the stories she’s telling, causing him to sneak a remark or two. Eventually, while Hange is telling stories to Levi about her childhood, there’s no longer the sound of raindrops hitting the roof and the surroundings looked a little brighter too.  
  
Of course, those two being the observant people they are, have noticed the apparent change in weather. But for some reason, they didn’t acknowledge it out loud, not wanting to break the comfortable state they’re in. Even though the sunlight is shining in the room and Levi can leave whenever he pleases, he didn’t leave. Maybe, just maybe, he found Hange’s stories a little bit interesting.

 _“OHHHHHH, OHHHHHHHH THIS IS WHEN I MET NANABA”_ Hange explained excitedly and was about to continue but the noise from outside interrupted her. She was forced to close the album and stand up from her seat. “ _Wait here, I’ll check the sound”_

It was fairly easy for Hange to walk around even after the incident with the stairs earlier. She arrived at the door without limping which was great but she had other things to worry about. Lik the slightly opened door in front of her. She made sure it was locked earlier after Levi entered so it makes no sense that it’s open. She walked closer to the welcome mat placed near the door, and there she saw watery footprints from a shoe. As she was about to investigate further regarding the footprint, she didn’t notice that there was something or someone behind her. 

“ _There you are_!”

By reflex, Hange grabbed the closest thing around her and threw it to the person behind her without thinking. The closest thing happened to be one of Levi’s shoes he took off earlier and it was thrown to none other than the person behind her, Hange’s mother.  
  
“ _Mom???_ ” Hange exclaimed, an embarrassed smile on her face as she picked up the shoe she threw to her. “ _Sorry about that, I thought it was an intruder”_ she mumbled apologetically.

A chuckle just escaped her mother’s mouth _“It’s fine Hange”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“But isn’t that a stranger’s shoe”_ her mom continued with a stern tone.

Hange just stared at her mother, looking for excuses but in the end, ended up telling the truth. There’s no need to hide the truth from her mother anyway, she’ll understand. “ _I invited Levi, my art tutor slash friend here since there was a storm earlier”_

What came next was silence and Hange was looking at everything but her mother. Afraid of what her reaction would be with having a visitor unannounced. However, the tense atmosphere didn’t last long when a smile appeared on the face of Hange’s mother.  
  
 _“Oh, why didn’t you say so?”_ she spoke light-heartedly and proceeded to take off her shoes. _“I should have bought those cookies on the way here”_ _  
__  
_Hange smiled, she’s glad that she didn’t hide the truth from her mother. _“Mom, there’s no need. Levi will go home soon anyway”_ she picked up her mother’s shoes and put them on the shoe rack.  
  
Before Hange can lift her head up, she was able to hear her mom’s gasp. _“Are you Levi? Thanks for teaching my daughter’s art tutor. Do you need anything? You should stay over, we’re having dinner soon”_ _  
__  
_It was obvious that Levi was uncomfortable with Hange’s mother's sudden questions and close proximity and as much as Levi wants to go home, he can’t because his wrists were held by the hands of Hange’s mother. Trapping him in his spot.  
  
Hange can’t help but internally laugh at the sight and send Levi a smirk while he was being bombarded with questions. It lasted for a few seconds until Hange gave in to kindness and removed Levi from his awkward situation.  
  
 _‘Mom, as much as Levi would want to stay, he still has other things to do”_ She explained and then turned to face Levi. “ _Right, Levi?”_

He can only mutter a “yes” from his breath but thankfully, Hange’s mother understood and let go of Levi’s wrists. “ _That’s a shame, I guess there’s always next time”_ she sighed and went to the table where a paper bag is placed.  
  
 _“At Least take this, it’s the food I bought for Hange but I’m sure she won’t mind”_ Hange’s mother looked over at her daughter to see her reaction. Hange only nodded, agreeing to give the food to Levi.  
  
Levi’s hesitation was visible to Hange and she had to move closer and whisper to his ear. _“Take it, my mom’s stubborn”._ _  
_ _  
_Following Hange’s advice, he took it and then thanked Hange’s mother for the food. He was about to go exit the door but Hange stopped him.

 _“Wait here, I’ll walk you home. I’m just gonna go get your clothes''_ Hange stated but it resulted in her mother coughing and then raising a brow at both Hange and Levi which caused Hange to further explain. “ _His clothes got soaked in the rain and was left to dry”_

After Hange got his clothes, she put on her shoes and then exited the door with Levi.  
  
The walk was their usual walk. Hange rambling about science Levi doesn’t care about but he still listens anyway. Both of them have accepted that this was their way of having a conversation and there are no complaints that, what matters is that they’re comfortable with each other.

Before they knew it, they were already at the crossroads where they go their separate ways. Hange offered to walk Levi closer to his house but Levi declined since it’s just walking distance from the crossroads they’re currently standing at. He also told Hange to go home because there’s still her mother waiting for her to go home so they can have dinner.

The way Levi said dinner has a tone Hange can’t quite figure out. Was that sadness? Fondness? Anger? She doesn’t know and planned to interrogate him but before she can, Lvi was already seen walking away.  
  
 _I guess the questions can wait for later_ Hange thought with a smile and turned her back to start walking away but a thought entered her mind.  
  
“ _LEVIIIIIIIIIIIIII”_ she yelled, attracting more attention than she intended.  
  
There was no reply from Levi but he stopped walking which means he is listening. So Hange continued. “ _YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY HAVE DINNER WITH US SOMETIME. I’LL COOK THE FOOD”_ she waved her hands goodbye and started walking away after she sent Levi a bright and wide smile.  
  
There was no reply from Levi...Or at least Hange didn’t hear it.  
  
It was only a whisper and it was so soft that only Levi could hear it.  
  
“ _Your cooking better not be as shitty as your art, four eyes”_ _  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Sorry for the superrrrr longgg waitttt!!( It ended up longer than I intended it to..)
> 
> And thanks to those who are still reading this, I really appreciate it ^-^
> 
> Truth be told, Even I was confused about how to write this part. I didn't know if readers other than me can understand wth is going on. But... I tried my best and this is what I came up with so far. 
> 
> I think a lot of things happened in this chapter... Some scenes aren't necessary to be in there but I ended up writing it anyway. (the falling in stairs scene I think happened a bit too fast and then the "challenge" part was just added in randomly)
> 
> I guess I'm satisfied.. But I'm still not satisfied... I want to improve more so I'll keep on trying!!
> 
> I'm truly grateful to everyone who is reading this. 
> 
> Thank you, everyone <3
> 
> Stay safe and have a great day/night ahead

**Author's Note:**

> AHHHHHHH did I do this correct?
> 
> It's pretty cliche...
> 
> This is my first fanfic so I hope it doesn't suck that much(it probably does)
> 
> I'mma try my best and hopefully I can improve.


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